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TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS 


WAR OF THE REVOLUTION SERIES. 


By EVERETT T. TOMLINSON, Ph.D. 
ILLUSTRATED BY CHARLES COPELAND. 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. A Story of the Times 
of ’76. 368 pages. Cloth. i2mo. $1.50. 

THREE YOUNG CONTINENTALS. A Story of the 
American Revolution. 364 pages. Cloth. i2mo. 
$1.50. 

WASHINGTON’S YOUNG AIDS. A Story of the 
New Jersey Campaign, 1776-1777. 391 pages. Cloth. 
i2mo. $1.50. 

TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS : or, Boys of the Frontier. 
A Story of Burgoyne’s Invasion. 366 pages. Cloth. 
i2mo. $1.50. 





























AN INDIAN WAR-DANCE FOLLOWED THE CONFERENCE 





Two Young Patriots 

OR 

BOYS OF THE FRONTIER 

a £>torp of IBurgopiu’s JiWaston 

\ 

EVERETT T 

AUTHOR OF “THREE COLONIAL BOYS,” “THREE YOUNG CONTINENTALS” 

“ WASHINGTON’S YOUNG AIDS,” ETC. 



/TOMLINSON 


ILLUSTRATED BY 

CHARLES COPELAND 




BOSTON AND CHICAGO 
W. A. WILDE & COMPANY 


rzn 

ITsi'i’ 1 ’"'- 



Copyright, 1898, 

By W. A. Wilde & Company. 
All rights reserved. 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 



TWO COPIES RECEIVED. 

CU^<=b 

1st COV '■ • 
1890 . 


RUSSELL B. ORCUTT 



PREFACE. 


In the historical setting of this story I have made use 
of the works of Fiske, Dawson, Lossing, Stone, Drake, 
Neilson, Stedman, Wilkinson, Madame de Riedesel’s Let- 
ters, and also the various local traditions and histories. 
I have endeavored not only to give my young readers a 
story, but also a correct outline of the invasion itself. 

For many of the incidents and adventures there is war- 
rant in the local and family records. I have, however, 
made use of a story-teller’s license, and have ventured to 
modify and adapt some of these to the demands of this 
book. But although some of them are slightly varied in 
the use I have made of them, still I trust they will serve 
the purpose of imparting a true flavor to the narrative 
of the life and conditions of the region through which 
John Burgoyne passed with his army. 

Above all, if this story shall deepen the love of country 
in the hearts of the oncoming generation, and teach them 
to place a higher value upon that for which so many of 
the “ men of ’76 ” (and ’77) were willing to give even their 
lives, the work will have gained its own reward. To 
uphold that which our fathers’ fathers strove to hold up, 
demands a patriotism as high as that which was mani- 
fested during the now famous invasion of John Burgoyne. 

EVERETT T. TOMLINSON. 

7 
















CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I. On the Frontier 13 

II. The Refuge in the Beech-Tree .... 23 

III. The Meeting by the Beech-Tree .... 33 

IV. The Conference 43 

V. Jairus Acts 54 

VI. The Struggle in the Water 65 

VII. Within the Fort 76 

VIII. Jeremiah Investigates 86 

IX. The Return of David Jones 96 

X. Burgoyne approaches Ticonderoga . . . 107 

XI. Besieged 117 

XII. The Difficulties are Increased . . . .129 

XIII. The Fall of the Old Fort 139 

XIV. The Bold Young Sergeant 150 

XV. An Unexpected Visitor 160 

XVI. A Prize 172 

XVII. What the Armies were Doing . . . .183 

XVIII. Samuel’s Return 194 

XIX. A Toilsome Journey 206 

XX. An Early Morning Start . . . . .218 

XXI. A Raid 230 


9 


10 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER PAGE 

XXII. The Battle in the Ravine 242 

XXIII. A Struggle with the Hessians . . . *254 

XXIV. The Return of the Panther .... 266 

XXV. A New Companion 278 

XXVI. Samuel goes on Timothy’s Expedition . . 290 

XXVII. The “Irishman’s Gun” 301 

XXVIII. A Parting 312 

XXIX. The Advance of John Burgoyne . . . 323 

XXX. The Beginning of the End 334 

XXXI. The Final Struggle 345 

XXXII. Conclusion 357 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

“ An Indian war-dance followed the conference ” 

Frontispiece 5 2 

“ Still the canoe sped on. Still the lad did not lay down 

the paddle ” 74 '/ 

“ Suddenly he discovered an Indian quickly darting from 

tree to tree” . . . . . . . .120 

“ 1 Who are you? What are you doing here?’ ” . . 209 1/ 

“ Jairus found himself riding by the side of Prudence ” . 288 y 

















TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

ON THE FRONTIER. 

“We’ve lost another lamb. There are tracks all 
around the pen, and some pieces of wool on the 
bushes.” 

“ That makes four we’ve lost in less than ten 
days, doesn’t it ? ” 

“Yes. We’ve lost more than we have left. 
Probably the others will be gone in ten days more.” 

“ I heard the wolves howling last night, but I 
hoped they wouldn’t be able to do any damage this 
time. It’s too bad, Jairus. You’ll have to try the 
trap again, I think.” 

“ I’ll try it, but it won’t amount to much, I’m 
thinking. Where’s Sam ? ” 

“ I saw him and Arthur go down towards the 
shore not long ago. I don’t just know where they 
are. You haven’t seen or heard anything more 
from Albany, have you ? ” 


13 


14 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ Haven’t heard a word, mother. I guess it’s 
mostly talk, anyhow. Just now I’m a good deal 
more interested in the wolf question than I am in 
what General Burgoyne is doing, or what they say 
he’s doing. I guess General Philip Schuyler will 
be able to look after him. But I’ll look up the boys 
now, and see what we can do to put a damper on 
these wolves. They’re growing bolder every night.” 

Thus speaking, Jairus Goodwin ran quickly out 
from the low log house which was his home, in 
search of his brother. He did not turn to see his 
mother, who was still standing in the doorway, evi- 
dently perplexed and sadly troubled over something. 
Just what it was could not be seen; for apparently 
on that June morning in 1777 there was nothing to 
alarm or vex her, unless it was the loss of lambs 
which the prowling wolves had carried away within 
the last ten days. 

It did not appear, however, that her thoughts 
were of her loss; for long after Jairus had disap- 
peared from sight she still remained in the door- 
way, looking out towards Lake Champlain as if she 
either was expecting some one to come from that 
direction, or was fearful that some one might come 
she did not wish to see. 

But visitors at the Goodwin home were very few. 
Three years before this time the widow Goodwin, 
soon after the death of her husband, had crossed 
from the Vermont side to the New York side of 
Lake Champlain, and, almost the only settlers for 


ON THE FRONTIER . 


15 


miles around, with her two boys, Jairus and Samuel, 
had made a new home in the wilderness. The 
other children in her family were grown and mar- 
ried, and had homes of their own. 

A cordial invitation had been extended to Mrs. 
Goodwin to make her home with one of her daugh- 
ters in Massachusetts, whence all the family had 
come a few years before ; but partly for the sake of 
her two boys, now sturdy young fellows of seven- 
teen and nineteen, and partly because of her desire 
to be independent, she had chosen to remain in the 
home on the frontier. 

Troubles, however, are not prone to come singly, 
and the widow Goodwin’s experience proved to be 
no exception to this rule. Her husband had not 
been dead three months before his brother laid 
claim to the land he had taken up and cleared. All 
considerations for the family, which ought to have 
appealed to him the more strongly in their time of 
need, were forgotten, and disregarding the protests 
of his own wife and children, and the pleadings of 
the widow and the fatherless, he had persisted in 
claiming what he insisted was his own. 

And the laws had borne him out in his claim, as 
sometimes even the best of laws are found to be 
upon the side of the stronger. For a time the sor- 
rowful woman did not know what to do. The 
daughter’s home was still open to her, but the 
thought of her boys increased her desire to be inde- 
pendent for their sake as well as for her own ; and 


1 6 TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 

after hesitating for a month, she finally yielded to 
the urgent words of the lads and crossed the lake 
with their few possessions and took up a claim on 
the New York side of the lake. 

There, little difficulty had been experienced in 
establishing themselves, perhaps one reason being 
that there were so few settlers in the region, that no 
one cared to dispute her claim. 

Two years of the hardest kind of work had fol- 
lowed, and at the time when our story opens the 
results were plainly manifest. The little log house 
had some marks of comfort about it. Flowers were 
in bloom, and vines were climbing over its rough 
sides. Wild flowers many of them were it is true, 
but none the less beautiful on that account, and 
quick to respond to the care which the widow 
Goodwin, in spite of the arduous duties of the 
pioneer life, had somehow found time to bestow 
upon them. 

Nor had Jairus and Samuel been idle. They 
had built two barns and a sheep-pen, the latter at 
some distance from the house and near a spring 
which never failed in its supply of fresh cool water. 
Many of the trees of the forest had fallen by their 
hands, and little patches of corn and grain could be 
seen here and there as the results of their labors. 

Difficult as the struggle with nature always is, 
there were some things which apparently were on 
the side of the settlers. The waters of the lake 
abounded in fish, and slight efforts were required to 


1 7 


ON THE FRONTIER. 

supply their table with bass, and pickerel, and 
perch. Many a time the boys had come home from 
their labors, and almost exhausted though they 
were, had found a relaxation in taking their rude 
skiff and pushing out a little distance into the lake, 
and there landing the hungry fish which eagerly 
seized the bait they offered. 

Then, too, there were times when the forests 
would be darkened by immense flocks of pigeons, 
and frequently the boys had kept their table well 
supplied with the birds they had brought to the 
ground, simply by striking them with a pole. 

The red deer were so plentiful and so little afraid 
of men that no difficulty was experienced in shoot- 
ing all they needed for food, and beyond that the 
young frontiersmen never cared to go. 

Killing for the sake of killing had no pleasure for 
them, and, indeed, was reserved for a later civiliza- 
tion, which sometimes boasts of its superiority and 
looks back condescendingly upon the rude pioneers 
to whom Jairus and Samuel undoubtedly belonged. 
For their hands were hard and horny, their clothing 
rough and home-made, and it is more than likely 
that their table manners and uncouth speech might 
have shocked some of the readers of this story could 
they have been placed, by some power, where they 
could have met these boys of the frontier. 

But in nobility of purpose, in sturdy integrity, in 
the love of their mother and willingness to do their 
utmost for her, it is just possible that they might 


1 8 TWO YOUNG PA T RIOTS. 

have compared quite well with some of the faultless 
young ladies and gentlemen who are privileged to 
see the closing years of one century and the open- 
ing of another. 

It is true there was another side to all this. The 
tame red deer, the pigeons, which almost seemed to 
wait to be caught, the fish, which in the cool of the 
evening leaped almost constantly from the water, 
were not all that could be found in the region. 
Bears were frequently seen, the long, lonesome 
howls of the wolves could be heard almost every 
night, and more than once the shrill, whimpering, 
almost human cry of the hungry panther, or “ cata- 
mount,” as the pioneers called the fierce beast, also 
could be heard. Every rose has its thorn we are 
told, and even the exhilaration and freedom of the 
pioneer life had other drawbacks than its hard work 
and its loneliness. 

One fact, however, must not be passed over in 
our story. Hard as were the feelings of the widow 
Goodwin towards her husband’s brother for his 
theft of her land, for so she virtually regarded it, 
her feeling towards his wife had been unchanged. 
For her, she cherished a tender regard, which even 
the loss of her home could not lessen, and many 
were the tokens of love that were sent her from her 
sister-in-law by the traders or the Indians as they 
went up the lake from St. John’s, where the other 
family now resided. 

About a month previous to this June morning, 


ON THE FRONTIER. 


19 


the cousin of the boys, Arthur Goodwin, a boy of 
their own age, had made his way up the river 
and the lake in his canoe, which he had fitted out 
with sails. The time of his visit was near its end 
now, and if the truth must be told, neither of his 
cousins feel much regret at the thought of parting; 
for Arthur Goodwin had inherited many more of 
his father’s qualities than he had of his mother’s, 
and, in addition to all that, he was so bitter in his 
words against the struggling colonies, that more 
than once he and the boys had come well-nigh to 
blows in their heated debates. 

Mrs. Goodwin had done all in her power to keep 
peace; but although they were so far from neigh- 
bors and out of the path of travel, the intense feeling 
of the times was not unknown in this lonely home. 
And Jairus and Samuel were as ardent in their 
feelings towards the colonies, as ever Arthur had 
been for the mother country and His Majesty King 
George III. 

He had, however, brought with him a report 
which had sadly troubled the widow Goodwin. In 
the preceding autumn, General John Burgoyne had 
sailed for England, to lay before the king his plan 
for conquering the colonies. And a well-conceived 
plan it was too ; but the planning is one thing, and 
executing is quite another, as many have found out 
long before this story was written, and sometimes to 
their sorrow. 

Burgoyne was eager and ambitious, a fluent 


20 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


talker, and as he had been engaged in the battle 
of Bunker Hill and in the campaign of 1776-77, he 
was listened to with attention, his petition was heard, 
and his plan approved. 

And what was his plan? To divide the colonies 
into two parts, by gaining possession of the Hudson, 
and so keeping the eastern and the southern men 
from acting together. General Clinton was to come 
up the Hudson with his army from New York, and 
at Albany meet Burgoyne, who was to come down 
the lakes from Canada. A part of Burgoyne’s army 
was to be given to St. Leger, who was to go from 
Montreal up the St. Lawrence river to Lake 
Ontario and take Oswego, and then also move on 
down the Mohawk valley to Albany, where he was 
to meet the other two generals, and if each should 
be successful, and not one of the three had a doubt 
of that, then the entire region would be brought 
under the control of the British, the American 
traders would be kept apart, and soon King George 
could dictate terms to all of his rebellious subjects 
in America. 

Reports of all these plans young Arthur Goodwin 
had heard from his father, and he related them to 
his cousins with many boastings of what would soon 
be done. 

The boys had laughed and replied with bantering 
words, but the widow Goodwin had been sadly 
troubled ; for she feared there was more than idle 
talk in the lad’s words. 


ON THE FRONTIER. 


21 


If the British should attempt to carry out any 
such plan, it was more than likely that they would 
pass not far from her home. And what then ? 
Many times she found herself wondering what the 
outcome would be ; and as she stood in the door- 
way that summer morning, watching Jairus as he 
ran towards the shore of the lake, her thoughts were 
far more of the possible coming of redcoats than of 
the loss of the lambs, serious as that was. 

The birds were twittering in the branches, and 
the very air seemed to be filled with their music 
and with the perfume of the wild flowers. The 
sunlight filtered through between the whispering 
leaves, and only peacefulness and quiet seemed to 
be pictured on every side. But the widow Good- 
win, though she was never prone to borrow trouble, 
was insensible to the beauty of the June morning. 
Arthur’s boastful words were not forgotten, and 
her heart was heavy with a great fear. 

Two hours later the three boys entered the house 
together. “ We’ve fixed the wolf-trap, mother,” said 
Jairus, “ and perhaps we can put a stop to this 
thieving.” 

“ Not much use,” said Arthur. “ I tell you, 
Johnnie Burgoyne’s coming down here, and you’ll 
have to turn everything over to him, or else get 
out.” 

“ He’s worse than the wolves, I’ll own,” said 
Jairus angrily; “but till he comes, we’ll fight the 
others.” 


22 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


There was • work to be done, however, and no 
time for quarrelling. Just before dusk the two 
cows must be milked, and the calves, which thus 
far had escaped the wolves and bears, must be 
cared for. 

The next morning, as soon as the early chores 
were done and breakfast over, the three boys started 
for their traps. Again their mother stood in the 
doorway, watching them until they disappeared 
from her sight in the forest. 

Then, turning about, she resumed her work with 
a sigh, but her sigh would have been deeper could 
she have foreseen that many a long day was to pass 
before the trio would reenter her home. 


CHAPTER II. 


THE REFUGE IN THE BEECH-TREE. 

The sun had not been long above the horizon 
when the boys started on their errand. The sheep- 
pen was at some little distance from the house, and 
had been built on a sloping hillside where there 
was an open space in the forest, and the grass 
grew richer there than anywhere else about the 
clearing. 

“ I heard a howl last night that seemed to raise 
the hair from my head,” said Jairus, as they walked 
on together. “ I had a mind to wake you both up, 
and go out to see what it meant.” 

“ Lucky you didn’t,” laughed Samuel. “ I’ve no 
particular desire to face a pack of hungry wolves in 
the night. I don’t feel over bold as it is.” 

“That’s because you are younger than we are,” 
replied Arthur. “ I used to feel that way when I 
was your age, but I’ve got all over it now.” 

“ My venerable cousin,” said Samuel with a mock 
reverence, “ I’d forgotten that both you and Jairus 
are a year and a half older than I am. When I am 
as old as you are, I shall try to recall all your words 
23 


24 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


of wisdom. It may be that I shall be as brave and 
bold then as you are now.” 

“ Stop your nonsense,” said Jairus. “ We’re close 
to the pen now. There, you can hear the sheep ! 
Let’s creep up without making any noise. Maybe 
we’ve got something.” 

“ Y ou won’t get anything,” growled Arthur. “ Y ou 
don’t know how to set a wolf-trap, to say nothing of 
baiting it. Now the way we do at St. John’s — ” 

“ Bother you and St. John’s both ! ” replied Jairus 
sharply. “ Keep still, can’t you ? We don’t want 
to make any more noise than is necessary.” 

The boys became silent, although Arthur mut- 
tered some word that sounded very like “ afraid ” ; 
but they were all too eager now to heed his dis- 
agreeable manners, and in a few moments the 
sheep-pen came within sight, and they all ran 
eagerly forward into the clearing. 

The trap had been set on the farther side of the 
pen, near the place where the wolf, on the previous 
night, had broken in, and in a brief time the boys 
ran together around the corner and approached the 
spot. 

“ There, I told you you didn’t know how to set 
a wolf-trap. Now at St. John’s we’d have — ” 

“ Stop your noise, Arthur, and help us find the 
trap, will you? No wolf would have got very far 
away with that trap fast to one of his legs, I know,” 
said Jairus, looking ruefully at the place where the 
trap had been fastened. 


THE REFUGE IN THE BEECH-TREE. 2 5 

There had evidently been a struggle of some 
kind, for the chain was broken and the piece that 
remained showed the marks of teeth upon it. 

“ Must have been a gray wolf,” said Samuel, “ or 
else the chain was broken before you set the trap.” 

“ I think the chain was all right, Sam,” replied 
Jairus, stooping and carefully examining the link. 
“Well, it’s gone, anyway, whatever took it away. 
Let’s look in the pen and see if the sheep and 
lambs are still there. Here, I’ll go in and you stay 
here,” he added as he flung back the rude door and 
entered the enclosure. “ They’re all there, but 
something’s frightened them,” he said as he soon 
rejoined the boys. “ They’re all huddled up to- 
gether, and seem almost too scared to make a 
noise.” 

“You’d have had it all right if you’d done as I 
told you with the trap,” said Arthur. “ They never 
fix ’em that way at St. John’s, I can tell you. Up 
there we always know how.” 

“ Saint Arthur, if you don’t stop talking about 
St. John’s, I’ll fix a trap for you yourself,” said 
Samuel angrily. 

He might quarrel with Jairus himself, but when 
it came to listening to another abuse him, that was 
a different matter entirely, and his loyalty was at 
once aroused. 

“ Come on, boys,” said Jairus; “the fellow couldn’t 
have got far away. Let’s look for him, though 
perhaps we shan’t find anything but his bones. 


26 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


They’re regular cannibals, wolves are, and like 
nothing better than a good, fat, mutton-fed wolf for 
dinner, if he’s hurt so badly he can’t fight back. 
They’re most as big sneaks as the Tories ! ” 

Arthur’s face flushed as he replied: “You 
wouldn’t talk that way if you weren’t two to one. 
I’d like to know which are the big sneaks, the men 
who come out squarely for the king, or those that 
try to dodge their honest debts ? Who furnished 
an army to keep the bloody Frenchmen out of this 
very country? Who furnished the guns, and boats, 
and ammunition? Who kept the Frenchers out 
of these lands ? ” 

“ It wasn’t the Frenchers that got into our land,” 
said Jairus sharply. 

The words were hardly spoken before Jairus re- 
gretted them. He had promised his mother that 
he would not make any reference to the deeds of 
Arthur’s father ; for, as she said, Arthur was not to 
blame for the sins of another, and she well knew 
how his mother sorrowed over the entire matter. 
Recalling all this, he was on the point of apologiz- 
ing, but the expression of hatred on his cousin’s 
face kept him silent. 

“ That’s about the way my father says it always 
is with paupers,” sneered Arthur. “ The more you 
do for them, the more you may. You let them live 
on your land, and they pretty soon think they own 
it. My father would have let you stayed there 
where you were, only he didn’t want all he’d put 


THE REFUGE IN THE BEECH-TREE . 


2 7 


into the clearing to go over to you too. He’s had 
to work hard for what he’s got. But then, he says 
he doesn’t care. It’s all you can expect from some 
folks.” 

Jairus turned sharply at the words of Arthur, and 
for a moment there were signs of serious trouble : 
but it had almost always happened whenever two 
of the boys had had any disagreement, the third 
had tried to be peacemaker. 

And now Samuel broke in, and said : “ Oh, come 
on, boys ! The wolf and trap will both be gone if 
you don’t quit this. They may be as far as St. 
John’s now, for all I know. Perhaps he’s taking 
the trap up there to have it properly set ; or maybe 
it’s his leg. I don’t know.” 

The brothers laughed, but the look on Arthur’s 
face still was one of hatred. The feeling of dis- 
like had increased during his visit, until there was 
little prospect of the boys ever being friends again. 
The lad showed so many of the cruel and revenge- 
ful traits of his father, that Mrs. Goodwin knew 
the possibilities of future friendship between the 
cousins was very slight indeed, and she grieved the 
more because she knew it would be an added grief 
to Arthur’s mother. She had watched the boys 
day after day, and had done all that lay within her 
power to keep peace between them ; but the quar- 
rels had multiplied, often growing out of very trivial 
matters, and this morning they had almost reached 
a climax near the sheep-pen. 


28 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ I’ll not say another word now,” said Arthur 
savagely. “ I hate you both. I despise you and I 
shall never sleep another night in your house. I 
only came down here because my mother wanted 
me to. My father told me just what I might ex- 
pect, for he’d had the same thing to meet himself. 
We wouldn’t have treated you so at St. John’s if 
you’d been there.” 

“ Oh, hold on, Arthur,” said Jairus quickly. 
“ Don’t go ; it’s only talk, you know.” 

But Arthur Goodwin turned away as if he would 
not listen to any further words ; but he had taken 
only two or three steps before he suddenly stopped, 
and for a moment the quarrel and the bitter feelings 
were all forgotten. 

“ Gre-a-t — ” 

He did not complete his exclamation of surprise 
before both his cousins were by his side, and were 
gazing with him at the source of his alarm. Out 
from the bushes on the border of the little clearing 
there peered the head of a panther. His eyes were 
blazing with fury, and he snarled and hissed as if 
he were almost beside himself with rage. 

For a moment not one of the boys moved or 
spoke. It was not the first time, by any means, 
that they had looked upon this terror of the fron- 
tier; but never before had they been face to face 
with one, and the first impulse now in the heart of 
each was to turn and run. But almost fascinated 
by the sight of the furious beast, they still stood 


THE REFUGE IN THE BEECH-TREE. 29 

where they had first seen him, not even glancing at 
each other. 

The snarling panther, apparently, was more and 
more enraged by the sight of the motionless boys 
before him. A shrill scream followed his snarls, 
and they could hear the heavy strokes of his tail as 
he lashed the bushes near him. Once or twice he 
turned and snapped savagely at something behind 
him ; but when he attempted to move, it became 
apparent at once that he was held fast in his 
position. 

“ He’s caught in the trap, boys,” said Jairus in a 
low whisper. “ That’s where our trap’s gone.” 

A sigh, as of relief, escaped from his companions, 
as Jairus spoke, and the boys glanced at each other 
for a moment. All this had happened in a very 
brief time, and the words of Jairus served to recall 
them to themselves, and to the necessity of action. 

“Get your guns, boys,” whispered Jairus again; 
for he was the only one who still retained his 
weapon, the others having laid theirs on the ground 
when they stopped to examine the broken chain of 
the wolf-trap. “ I’ll keep him covered with mine,” 
continued Jairus, “while you get yours. He can’t 
get away ; the trap’s fast in the bushes.” 

The first movement on the part of the boys 
served to increase the fury of the panther. Almost 
beside himself with pain and anger, he struggled 
to free himself, and Jairus was almost tempted to 
shoot. He knew, however, that the guns were 


30 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


loaded only with slugs, and he was fearful that a 
single shot would only increase the danger, and 
arouse the beast still more. 

He waited a moment for the boys to take their 
places again by his side, and then, without taking 
his eyes from the furious and struggling animal, 
he said, “ Now let him have it, boys.” 

The report of the guns was followed by a scream 
that almost caused the boys to turn and run ; but, 
retreating only behind the corner of the sheep-pen, 
they waited for the smoke to clear and the true 
condition of affairs to be revealed to them. 

The panther had sent forth the one long shrill 
scream, and that was all. For a moment there 
was a thrashing about among the bushes ; but that, 
too, soon ceased, and when the smoke had lifted, a 
silence rested over all. Still no one dared to vent- 
ure forth, and all three hastily reloaded their guns, 
and waited. 

The frightened sheep were bleating pitifully, but 
the boys were much too excited to heed them. 
They were all three watching the bushes to see 
whether the panther would free himself and spring 
out at them. 

The minutes slowly passed, but the bleating of 
the sheep was all that could be heard. There was 
no movement within the bushes now, and when ten 
minutes had gone, Jairus said, “Come on, boys; 
he’s either dead or got away.” 

Slowly and carefully the boys approached the 


THE REFUGE IN THE BEECH-TREE. 


31 


place where their enemy had been ; but still no sign 
of danger appeared. Holding their guns in readi- 
ness, they drew nearer and nearer, and at last were 
close to the place in which they had seen the 
savage beast. “ There, he’s dead,” said Arthur 
quickly, as he caught a glimpse of a tawny body 
within the bushes. 

Taking a long branch, he thrust it within, and 
slightly moved the body. As no response was 
made, the boys, satisfied that their enemy was 
dead, laid hold upon the broken chain, and with 
one strong pull drew forth the dead body of the 
panther. 

Even then, when it lay stretched out motionless 
before them, their fears had not all ceased. What 
a savage-looking creature he was, even in death. 
The long claws, the half-closed eyes, the great jaws 
and teeth, were still there, though life was gone ; 
and for a moment no one spoke. 

But the feeling of exultation soon prevailed, and 
they opened the jaws of the great trap which had 
shut together upon one of the legs of the panther 
and been the cause of his ill-fortune. 

“ There, he’ll not kill any more of our lambs,” 
said Samuel. 

“Up in St. John’s they say they always hunt in 
pairs,” said Arthur. “ Maybe this fellow’s mate is 
not far away.” 

“ That’s so, Sam,” said Jairus quickly. “ She may 
be eying us this very minute.” 


32 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


The way in which all three of the boys picked up 
their guns and glanced swiftly about them was 
almost laughable ; but no signs of the mate could 
be seen, and they soon regained their composure. 

“ She’ll be here, though ; you mark my words,” 
continued Arthur ; “ and you’d better get ready to 
meet her.” 

“ Sam, you go up to the house and get some 
of those big bullets. We don’t want these slugs. 
They worked once, but the next panther won’t 
come with a trap fast to one leg,” said Jairus. 

His brother quickly started for the house, and 
Jairus and Arthur began to prepare a hiding-place 
in one of the beech-trees, which stood on the border 
of the clearing. Jairus climbed the tree and Arthur 
tossed up to him some broken branches and two or 
three boards, which were all that could be found 
near the sheep-pen. 

Jairus worked steadily, and by the time Samuel 
returned with the bullets, he had constructed a 
platform high up in the beech-tree strong enough 
to bear the combined weight of the three boys, and 
which would provide a place from which they could 
watch all that occurred beneath them, without, as 
they thought, being seen themselves. 

The guns and ammunition were next passed up, 
and then, giving one hasty glance about him, Sam- 
uel prepared to join the boys in the tree and wait 
for the coming of the dead panther’s mate. 


CHAPTER III. 

THE MEETING BY THE BEECH-TREE. 

The boys soon took their positions on the rude 
platform they had constructed, and prepared to 
await the possible coming of the new enemy. The 
excitement of their recent encounter soon passed, 
and when an hour had gone they began to grow 
weary of the task. 

The platform was well up in the tree; far enough, 
as they thought, to protect them from attacks from 
below, and yet they could see for some distance not 
merely over the clearing, but out into the forest as 
well. 

The June sun climbed higher in the heavens. 
The songs of the birds had lost some of the volume 
which had been poured forth when the dew still 
rested on the grass. There was the promise of a 
warm day, and both Jairus and Samuel began to 
chafe over the enforced idleness; for there were 
pressing duties to be done even in that wilder- 
ness home, and pleasant June mornings were not 
% so plentiful as to warrant any neglect on the part of 
the young pioneers. 


33 


34 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Apparently the recent quarrel had been forgotten 
or ignored, for no reference was made to it after the 
boys had taken their seats on the platform in the 
tree. Arthur’s face still bore traces of his anger, 
but neither of his cousins heeded him, at least so far 
as appearances went. 

The guns had now been loaded with the larger 
bullets, and the boys had been keeping careful 
watch on all sides of the clearing. The sheep 
were still bleating, as if they could not under- 
stand why they should be shut in the pen on 
such a morning as this, when tempting grass and 
fresh green leaves were to be found on every side. 
Neither Jairus nor his brother, however, had heeded 
them, and indeed had been glad of their plaintive 
calls; for they might serve as a means of drawing any 
prowling beast within hearing and perhaps within 
the range of the muskets of the waiting boys. 

“ What’s the use of staying cooped up here any 
longer?” said Samuel at last, impatiently breaking 
in upon the silence. “ No panther’s coming here 
to-day, and besides, if one did come, it isn’t very far 
from the ground up to this platform. The cata- 
mount might turn hunter and we be the hunted if 
she wanted to turn things about.” 

“ That’s the way some people feel about every- 
thing,” said Arthur with a sneer. 

“ When Tories are up a tree, they talk very bold,” 
replied Samuel angrily. “ I’m no more afraid than 
you are. I’ll wait here just as long as you do.” 


THE MEETING BY THE BEECH-TREE. 


35 


Silence followed, and the threatenings of a re- 
newal of the quarrel ceased for a time. Another 
hour passed, and even Jairus was beginning to feel 
that the watch was becoming a useless one. The 
sheep had become more quiet, as if they had ceased 
to expect relief and freedom. The songs of the 
birds were almost entirely hushed now, and the 
silence of the great forest rested oppressively over 
all. 

“ I think we’ll have to give it up for this day,” 
said Jairus at last. “We’ve been here more than 
two hours now and haven’t seen a sign of a cata- 
mount. I guess if the mate had been anywhere 
within hearing of the calls of this fellow when he 
felt that trap shut together on his leg, she’d have 
shown up before this.” 

“ I’m with you,” said Samuel, attempting to rise 
as he spoke. “ I feel as if my legs had been held in 
a trap, too. I can hardly move a muscle.” 

“ Hold on. Don’t go yet,” said Arthur in a low 
whisper. “ There’s something over there in the 
bushes,” and he pointed as he spoke to a cluster 
on the further side of the clearing. 

His words were hardly spoken when the bushes 
suddenly parted, and with a light bound a panther 
leaped into the open place. Breathlessly the boys 
watched her, and so intent were they upon her 
movements that not a whisper passed between 
them. 

For a brief time the great beast stood silent, glar- 


36 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


ing sharply all about her; but in a moment her 
glance fell upon her dead mate, whose body the 
boys had left exposed and lying on the ground, not 
far from the tree in which they had constructed 
their platform. 

Two quick bounds brought her to the body, and 
she began to sniff as she walked slowly about it. If 
other feelings had been in the boys’ hearts, perhaps 
they would have been moved by the sight of her 
grief which followed. 

Uttering a low whine or moan, she began to lick 
the wounds of her mate, caressing his body as if she 
would try by some means to call him back to life 
again. For several minutes her labors continued, 
the boys meanwhile watching her with breathless 
interest, either being too interested or too excited 
to take advantage of the opportunity for a shot 
which was presented. 

Suddenly, however, a change came. Apparently 
satisfied that her companion was dead, the panther’s 
feelings and actions quickly changed. An impulse 
of intense rage seemed to seize her. Standing with 
her fore feet on the body, and crouching low, she 
sent forth a scream of fury that almost made Sam- 
uel let go his hold upon his gun. She lashed her 
sides with her tail, her eyes meanwhile glowing 
like burning coals, and the lips were drawn back 
from her jaws, disclosing the terrible fangs which 
doubtless had wrought destruction on many a help- 
less victim. Her ears were flat against her head, 


THE MEETING BY THE BEECH-TREE. 37 

and growls and snarls, and whining cries, and what 
seemed to be shrieks of rage were all mingled. 
None of the boys had ever before looked upon a 
picture of such uncontrolled fury as the panther, 
robbed of her mate, presented. 

Not a sound had come from the sheep-pen ; but 
suddenly the furious beast leaped from her position, 
and darted towards the enclosure. She could peer 
in between the logs, and what she saw seemed to 
add to her rage. Around and around the pen she 
ran, now stopping to claw furiously into the logs, as 
if she would tear them apart, and now digging with 
her claws at the soil upon which they rested. 

The frightened sheep uttered no sound ; but the 
boys could see that they were huddled together, 
and were darting swiftly from one side of the pen 
to the other, striving to keep as far away from the 
savage beast as possible. 

“ Jairus, shan’t we shoot? What are you waiting 
for?” tremblingly whispered Samuel. 

“Hush, Sam,” whispered Jairus in reply. “We 
might hit one of the sheep or lambs, and as we’ve 
only seven left, we don’t want to do that. She’ll 
come out into the clearing again, and when she 
does we’ll give it to her. Keep your guns ready, 
and when I whisper the word, let her have it all 
together.” 

Arthur had said nothing ; but after the first ex- 
citement over the approach of the panther had 
passed, there had been a sneer on his face when he 


38 TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 

glanced at the boys, which Jairus clearly qnderstood 
as implying that they were afraid to shoot. But 
the boy understood himself, and was waiting for the 
proper time to come. 

“ I’m going to shoot if you are afraid,” said 
Arthur. “ I’m not afraid of hitting the sheep. I 
think it’s the catamount that scares you, not the 
little lambs.” 

“ Arthur Goodwin, if you shoot before I give the 
word, I’ll shove you off from the platform.” 

Jairus was angry as well as excited now, and for 
a moment the two boys glared at each other, as if 
both had forgotten the presence of their common 
enemy. 

As they glanced again at the panther, they saw 
that a sudden change had come over her. Had she 
overheard them speaking ? Her head was lifted and 
she was sniffing at the air. 

Suddenly, and without a moment’s warning, she 
uttered a low whine, and before the boys realized 
what she was doing, she gave two great bounds and 
disappeared in the forest. 

“Well, you’ve done it now!” said Jairus angrily. 
“ She heard your voice and has got away. Fine trick 
that ! and now she’ll be prowling around here, and 
in a week we won’t have a sheep or critter left on 
the place.” 

“ It’s your own fault,” muttered Arthur. “ If you 
hadn’t been so afraid, I could have hit her alone. 
You’ve no one to blame but yourself. But then 


THE MEETING BY THE BEECII-TREE. 


39 


thats a trick some folks have; they take what doesn't 
belong to them, and what’s their own they’re mighty 
glad to shove off on some one else. I’m going to get 
out of this and start for St. John’s right away. I’ve 
had all I want of two such fellows as you.” 

The brothers were almost too angry to reply, and 
entered no protest. Picking up their guns again, 
they prepared to go down the tree, and Arthur, who 
was in advance, had already stepped off from the 
platform and grasped one of the limbs with his 
hand, when a startled exclamation from Samuel re- 
called him. 

“ Look there, boys ! That’s what scared off the 
catamount ! ” 

A hasty glance in the direction indicated by the 
frightened lad caused both the others to share in 
his feelings ; for out from the forest three or four 
Indians could be seen stealthily approaching. They 
were armed with guns, and on their shoulders were 
slung also some bows and quivers filled with arrows. 

As they entered the clearing, the sight of the dead 
panther attracted their attention. Assembling about 
it, they carefully examined it, and then standing up 
again, glanced about them in every direction. 

The frightened boys drew back against the tree, 
fearful that their own presence might be detected ; 
and if the presence of the catamount had frightened 
them, the sight now before them was far worse. 

The Indians were painted hideously, and it was 
evident that they were on the war-path. Would 


40 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


they discover the hiding-place of the boys ? The 
lads glanced at one another, and the peril of their 
situation, they could all three see, was fully appre- 
ciated. 

Suddenly Jairus felt his brother lightly touch his 
arm and point once more towards the forest. It 
appeared to be almost alive with Indians. From 
behind every tree and bush they seemed to come, 
and at a low call from one of the warriors standing 
beneath the tree, the newcomers joined those who 
were in the enclosure. 

Still they came. Silently they joined their com- 
panions, and not a word was spoken, though many 
curious glances were cast at the dead body of the 
panther. Two hundred, three hundred, four hun- 
dred, must be there now, thought Jairus, his heart 
beating rapidly with a great fear not only for him- 
self and his companions, but also for his mother, 
who perhaps might come from the house at any 
time now to discover the cause of the prolonged 
absence of the boys. 

And all of the Indians were as hideously painted 
as were those who had first appeared. Jairus re- 
called the rumors which had reached the lonely 
home of the plans of Burgoyne and the Indians, 
and for the first time he realized that there was 
some truth in them; for he had at once associated 
their presence with the threatenings of the British. 

But he was too much fascinated by the sight be- 
neath him to think of anything else at the time. 


THE MEETING BY THE BEECH-TREE. 41 

He had been watching the coming of the warriors 
from the forest, and had not taken his eyes from the 
place, save occasionally as he glanced at the crowd 
below. 

He noticed also a priest and two or three white 
men clad in the uniform of the British, and as they 
joined their companions he judged that it had been 
for their arrival the others had been waiting. 

As they approached, one of the Indians, who he 
concluded must be a chief, advanced and a hurried 
consultation followed between him and one of the 
white men. Jairus could not hear any of the 
words, but from the gestures of the chief as he 
pointed towards the sheep-pen, he concluded that 
he was suggesting that the sheep should be taken. 

Hardly realizing that the loss was his, he watched 
the men as some of them hurriedly obeyed the 
word of one of the officers, and in a few moments 
every sheep had been slaughtered and arrange- 
ments made to carry the bodies with them on their 
march. 

The great fear in Jairus’s heart now was that 
the hiding-place might be discovered or that some 
would go up to the house where his mother was. 
He shuddered as he thought of what might then 
occur. 

Meanwhile the other boys were clinging close to 
the tree, though all three were so fascinated by the 
sight below them that they could not turn away 
from it. No noise had been made by any of the 


42 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Indians. They had moved as silently as the leaves 
of the trees bow before the wind, but their hideous 
appearance and the presence of the British officers 
showed only too clearly the object on which they 
were bent. 

Another brief consultation between the chief and 
the officers followed, after the slaughter of the 
sheep, the men standing during the conversation 
directly beneath the beech-tree in which the boys 
were concealed. The conference did not last long, 
however, and it was with a great sigh of relief that 
Jairus saw the scouts start off into the forest again 
and the warriors prepare to follow. 

More than half the assembly had gone when 
Jairus turned to look at his companions. The end 
would soon be here now, and they would be free 
again ; but as he turned, his foot pushed against 
one of the branches which composed the little plat- 
form on which they were standing, and, falling from 
its place, it struck the ground at the feet of the offi- 
cer who was standing near. 

In surprise, both he and the chief glanced up- 
ward, and with a great sinking of the heart Jairus 
realized that their hiding-place had been discovered. 

“Here, you! Come down out of that tree!” 
called the officer. 

“ Don’t you go, Sam. Climb higher up and keep 
still. Maybe they won’t suspect you,” whispered 
Jairus as he and Arthur hastily obeyed the sum- 
mons and quickly descended to the ground. 


CHAPTER IV. 

THE CONFERENCE. 

“ I hear that lots of the Tories have joined Bur- 
goyne on his march, but I never expected to see it 
rain Tories. Where did you come from, and what 
were you doing up in that tree ? ” said the aston- 
ished officer, as he looked at the boys who had 
appeared so unexpectedly that he had at first 
stepped back to be out of their way. 

“We were hiding there, waiting for that panthers 
mate to come,” replied Jairus, pointing to the dead 
body, which had attracted the attention of the 
leaders and caused the advancing warriors to halt. 
“ She came here just a few minutes ago and we 
were just going to shoot, when the Indians came 
up.” . 

Jairus spoke calmly, but his heart was beating 
violently, and he was oppressed by a great fear. 
Samuel was still in the tree and his mother not far 
away, and the possibilities of harm to them as well 
as to himself were neither few nor small. 

“We’re glad you’ve come,” said Arthur, “and 
we’ll go with you. My father’s John Goodwin, 

43 



44 TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 

and he lives up at St. John’s. Come on down out of 
that tree, Sam ! ” he added, looking upward for a 
moment, and then glancing wickedly at Jairus. 

“ What ! Are there more of you ? ” said the offi- 
cer hastily. “ Then come down out of that,” he 
added, looking upward as he spoke. 

For a moment there was a silence in the tree, and 
then the branches parted and Samuel, looking very 
crestfallen, slid down the trunk and joined them. 

“ Why didn’t you come with the others ? ” said 
the officer sternly. 

“ I didn’t know just who you were,” stammered 
Samuel. “ I came just as soon as you called me.” 

He glanced at his brother as he spoke, and he 
knew at once by the expression on his face that he 
was greatly alarmed, and he resolved for his own 
part to use the fewest possible words. 

“ It’s all right as long as you came,” replied the 
officer. “ Now tell me truly whether there is any- 
body else hiding in any of the trees around here.” 

“ Not another soul,” replied Arthur quickly. 
“We’re the only ones here, and I’ve told you just 
exactly the truth. My father’s John Goodwin, and 
he lives up at St. John’s.” 

“Yes, I’ve heard of him,” said the officer dryly, 
and for a moment hope returned to the heart of 
Jairus as he thought he recognized a look of dis- 
gust on his face as he spoke. “ Then you are his 
boy, are you ? ” said the officer. “ And these may 
be your brothers?” 



THE CONFERENCE. 


45 


“ Not brothers, but cousins,” replied Arthur. 
“ Their name is Goodwin too. They aren’t quite 
as strong Tories as I am, but I guess they’ll go 
along with you, if you want them.” He turned 
to Jairus as he spoke, and smiled malignantly. 

For a moment it was in Jairus’s mind to declare 
just who he was, but the recollection of the great 
body of Indians which still was near, the excite- 
ment through which they had just passed, and 
above all the fear of what might follow the decla- 
ration of their true position kept him silent, and 
an appealing glance from his younger brother 
strengthened his determination not to speak. 

In a moment he realized that if he should wish 
to, it was too late, as he heard the officer say : 
“ They’ll be stronger Tories before we’re done with 
’em, I dare say. Now we can’t stay here and waste 
any more time. We’ll have to hasten as it is, or 
the meeting will have taken place and the general 
will have taken Ty and the whole region. Come — 
we’ll start,” and he motioned to the boys to advance. 

“ What ! Have we got to go with you too ? ” 
said Jairus, aghast. 

“ That’s what I said. Come, don’t stop to par- 
ley here. We’re late now.” 

“ But we can’t leave our mother this way,” 
pleaded Samuel. “ If we have to go, let us go 
first and tell her. She won’t know what’s become 
of us if we don’t. We can catch up with you in 
a little while.” 


46 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ She’ll have to find out as best she can what’s 
become of her boys,” replied the officer. “ She 
isn’t the only one who’s had to do it. Come on ! ” 
“ But can’t some one go up to the house with 
us? It won’t take but a few minutes, and we’ll 
come straight back. Only just to tell her — ” 

“ March on, there ! ” said the officer sharply. 
“ We’ll have no more of this nonsense. I shall be- 
gin to think pretty soon you don’t care much about 
joining us, if you don’t keep still.” 

Jairus gave his brother a quick glance, and both 
boys turned and without a further word of protest 
started with the little company and soon were well 
on their way in the forest. But there was a strange 
conflict going on in the mind of Jairus. There 
were moments when he was tempted to declare 
boldly just where he and his brother stood. Their 
isolated position, and the fact that news from the 
world outside seldom came to their lonely home, 
had kept them largely ignorant of the movements 
of the times. Occasionally rumors came, when 
some hunter reported what he had heard was 
going on at Albany or Montreal, or the infrequent 
visitors from across the lake had brought some 
little information. That the summer promised to 
be a stirring one they had somehow felt rather 
than known, but of the preparations already made, 
they knew almost nothing. 

Perhaps it was just as well, thought Jairus, as 
they marched on in silence, that their captor, for he 


THE CONFERENCE. 


47 


could regard him in no other light, should have the 
impression that they were Tories, although only half- 
hearted ones. With that understanding, it might 
be possible that some means of escape could soon 
be found, and the brave-hearted lad had not gone 
far before a strong determination had manifested 
itself on his countenance, and in such a manner 
that his brother knew at once a change of some 
kind had come. 

Still not a word was spoken. The three Indians 
and the white men who had remained with Captain 
Black, for that was the leader’s name, they soon 
learned, were in advance, and the officer brought up 
the rear r They had no difficulty in making their 
way or discovering the path which those who had 
gone before them had used. 

Occasionally Jairus or Samuel turned and glanced 
at their cousin, but the calm, cruel, satisfied smile 
on his face angered them more than any words of 
his could have done. How he appeared to enjoy 
their predicament! He knew it was too late for 
them to explain their true position, and on the 
other hand he had already committed them to the 
British. And they had not denied it when he had 
spoken. 

Jairus almost ground his teeth in his rage as he felt 
his helplessness. All his feelings toward the British 
invaders had been intensified within the past hour, 
as they had not been in all his previous life. He 
would not fight. He would get away somehow. 


48 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


He would see that his treacherous cousin reaped a 
suitable reward for his cruelty. How could he have 
been so unmindful of their mother after all she had 
done for him in the stay of a month he had made 
in her home ! What a return for her hospitality ! 
His father had taken advantage of their weakness 
in their time of grief, but the son had done far 
more. 

What was the loss of their home across the lake 
compared with this sorrow which Arthur Goodwin 
had brought upon their mother! Already Jairus 
could picture her in his mind as the evening drew 
near and the boys did not return. The darkness 
would soon deepen, and still they would not come, 
and he almost groaned aloud as he thought of her 
searching for them in the night. And she had 
known they had started forth in search of the dead 
panthers mate. Perhaps the mate would again 
return, and his mother — 

Again he thought of the prowling Indians. Cap- 
tain Black had not told him whether others were to 
follow them or not, but he was well assured in his 
own mind that they would, and if those who were in 
advance of them had discovered the sheep-pen, it 
would be only natural to fancy that those who might 
be following would discover their home. 

Almost frantic, Jairus turned and glanced again 
at Arthur; but the self-satisfied expression was still 
on his cousin’s face, and in sheer desperation he 
turned away for fear he would say or do something 


THE CONFERENCE. 


49 


which would increase the danger in which they 
found themselves. No, he must be careful now if 
ever he was to be, and every hope of his escaping 
or returning to his mother depended upon his self- 
control. 

So, silently, the little party trudged on in that 
beautiful day in early June, 1 777, and when less than 
two hours had elapsed the captain suddenly halted 
and said : “ Here’s the Bouquet, and we can’t be far 
from the place where we were to meet. Ah, there 
it is now ! ” and he pointed eagerly ahead as he 
spoke. 

In the distance Jairus could see that a great 
crowd had assembled, and as they drew nearer he 
saw that the Indians had arranged themselves in a 
semicircle, and that one of the British officers was 
advancing within it with outstretched hands and 
arms. Behind him lay a great assembly of redcoats, 
and the boys could see that among them were many 
stragglers and Indians. 

“ That’s General Burgoyne himself,” said Captain 
Black excitedly to his white companion. “ He’s 
talking to them. Let us stop here and listen.” 

For a moment Jairus forgot his own grief and 
anxiety in his interest in the scene before him. 
The summer day, the sloping hillside, the strange 
assembly, and the presence of the great general of 
whom he had heard so much, all combined to fasten 
his attention on the present scene. 

General Burgoyne advanced, and, when he was 


50 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


farther within the circle, began to speak. Jairus 
thought his face not an unpleasant one, though his 
manner was very condescending and pompous ; but 
he soon forgot all this as he listened to his speech 
and watched the Indians as they followed the words 
of the speaker. 

He told them of the clemency of the king, which 
the colonies had sadly abused, as he declared. He 
assured the dusky warriors that they were known 
to be brave and desperate foes, and that all of his 
followers would strive to imitate their example. 
“ Go forth,” said he, “ in the might of your valor and 
your cause ! Strike at the common enemies of 
Great Britain and of America; disturbers of public 
order, peace, and happiness ; destroyers of commerce ; 
parricides of the state. However, I positively for- 
bid bloodshed when you are not opposed in arms. 
Aged men, women, and children and prisoners must 
be held sacred from the knife and hatchet, even in 
the time of actual conflict. You shall receive com- 
pensation for the prisoners you take, but you shall 
be called to account for scalps. In conformity and 
indulgence of your customs, which have affixed an 
idea of honor to such badges of victory, you shall 
be allowed to take the scalps of the dead when 
killed by your fire and in fair opposition ; but on no 
account or pretence, or subtilty, or prevarication are 
they to be taken from the wounded or even from 
the dying; and still less pardonable, if possible, will 
it be held to kill men in that condition on purpose, 


THE CONFERENCE. 


51 


and upon a supposition that this protection to the 
wounded would be thereby evaded.” 

The warriors listened attentively to the words of 
General Burgoyne, and appeared to understand. 
Jairus did not know that Burgoyne himself had 
been bitterly opposed to employing the Indians in 
any way ; but that his advice and scruples had been 
overruled by the English ministers, and that he was 
only obeying their orders in permitting them to be 
enrolled in his army. 

Jairus’s attention was drawn, however, to an aged 
Iroquois chief, who advanced slowly and, in reply to 
Burgoyne’s speech, said : “ I stand up in the name 
of all the nations present to assure our father that 
we have attentively listened to his discourse. We 
receive you as our father, because when you speak 
we hear the voice of our great father beyond the 
great lake. We rejoice in the approbation you 
have expressed of our behavior. We have been 
tried and tempted by the Bostonians (the truth was 
that only General Gage and his emissaries had tried 
to tempt them), but we loved our father, and our 
hatchets have been sharpened upon our affections. 
In proof of the sincerity of our professions, our 
whole villages, able to go to war, are come forth. 
The old and infirm, our infants and wives, alone 
remain at home. With one common consent we 
promise a constant obedience to all you have ordered 
and to all you shall order; and may the Father of 
Days give you many victories and great success.” 


52 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


The chief ceased, and the pleased expression 
upon Burgoyne’s face led Arthur to say to the boys: 
“ There, you see what the general wants! Nothing 
could be fairer than that, I’m sure. I hope you’ll 
remember it for two or three weeks till the war’s 
over, and then report what you’ve heard the gen- 
eral himself say.” 

Neither of the boys made any reply. Not only 
did they not believe the red men could be trusted, 
but they could not trust themselves to speak to 
their traitorous cousin. All their hope of safety 
and escape depended upon their discretion now. 

An Indian war-dance followed the conference, 
and as they watched the Indians flourishing their 
tomahawks and knives, going through the imagi- 
nary processes of killing and. scalping their ene- 
mies, brandishing the trophies aloft, all the time 
keeping in constant motion and giving the blood- 
curdling whoops, they saw that the British general 
looked benignantly on, all unsuspicious that these 
ferocious men would not abide by their fair 
promises, or obey the commands he had given in 
his address. 

“ We’re on the march again now,” said Captain 
Black to them at last. “ You go with this man and 
he’ll assign you places ; for I take it you’ll not ob- 
ject to going with us a little while ? ” and he looked 
sharply at them as he spoke. 

“Not in the least. That’s the very thing we 
want to do,” said Arthur eagerly. 


THE CONFERENCE. 


53 


“ Very well then. David Jones will fix you 
out.” 

The army was already in motion, and with trem- 
bling hearts Jairus and Samuel followed their 
cousin and the soldier, as they turned from the 
place where they had been standing. 


CHAPTER V. 


JAIRUS ACTS. 

Our boys soon found that the march was not to 
be a long one, and the detachment soon joined the 
main body of Burgoyne’s army, which had halted 
near by for the purpose of awaiting the coming of 
the Indian bands. Four hundred of the red men 
were already among the followers of the British 
general, and the addition of those who had been 
led by Captain Black increased the number to 
almost a thousand. 

It was an impressive sight upon which our boys 
looked when they arrived at the place where the 
main army lay. The Indians in their war-paint 
and feathers, the glittering uniforms of the officers, 
the presence of Tories and irregulars, who had 
come to the camp in large numbers, all combined 
to make the newcomers sadly disheartened. 

Jairus and Samuel looked at each other sadly as 
the vast army spread out before them, and they saw 
its hope and spirit, the confidence of the leaders, 
and the superb equipment of all the forces. 

For the night they were assigned to the tent 

54 


J AIR US ACTS. 


55 


which David Jones occupied. What had become 
of Arthur, they did not know. He had departed 
soon after their arrival, and had not returned. 
Their thoughts, however, were mostly of their 
mother, and as they pictured her grief at their 
failure to return, they became more and more 
depressed. 

“ What’s the trouble, boys ? ” said David heartily 
as he entered the tent. “You look as glum as 
owls.” 

“We’re troubled a little about our mother. She’s 
a widow and we had to leave her all alone,” replied 
Jairus. He was endeavoring to speak as hopefully 
as possible ; for he was determined to seize the first 
opportunity to escape, and well knew that he must 
allay all their suspicions of himself and of his 
brother. 

“ Oh, well, that’s hard ; no doubt about that,” re- 
plied David. “ I’ve had to leave some of my best 
friends behind me. Not my mother, though,”' and 
he laughed lightly as he spoke. “ But it won’t 
be long. Why, Burgoyne must have close on to 
ten thousand men under him, and the colonies 
won’t stand long before him. He’s got some of the 
best-trained men in the world here, and he’s count- 
ing on five hundred or more of the Tories joining 
him from across the lake. They’re good fighters, 
you know.” 

“ Do they know down at Fort Ty that we’re on 
our way towards them? ” inquired Jairus. 


56 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ I hope not,” laughed David. “ Its not so great 
a matter if they do, though ; for it’ll only put off the 
end a little. It can’t stop it. They may fight a bit 
at the fort, but we’re bound to take it. Can’t be 
otherwise, you see ; and then when they hear that 
St. Leger is coming down the Mohawk, and Sir 
Henry and Lord Howe are coming up the Hudson, 
it’ll be all day with them. We’ll split ’em open, 
just the way they used to open oysters down on 
the shore of Long Island Sound. We’ll take the 
oysters and throw away the shells. It’s hard to 
leave your mother alone, though, boys, I’ll not 
deny that; but she isn’t the only woman that has 
to shift for herself now. But they’ll all forget it 
in a minute, when they see us coming home in a 
few days, and the thing all done. And I’m going 
to have a home of my own, boys, then, — I don’t 
mind telling you; so you see that I’m just as much 
in a hurry for the thing to be over, as ever you 
two can be.” 

David spoke lightly, and it was evident that he 
had no suspicions of the boys. 

“ What’ll we have to do ? ” asked Samuel. “ Do 
you suppose we can stop anywhere, or get word to 
mother ? ” 

“ Oh, I make no doubt you’ll be assigned to 
Fraser’s corps in the morning. You know Gen- 
eral Fraser has command of the loyalists and the 
Indians, Phillips has about all the artillery, and 
Baron de Riedesel has the Hessians. You’ll know 


JAIRUS ACTS. 


57 


al] about it soon enough, but I make no doubt 
you’ll be put with Fraser’s men. They are the 
fellows that are used to go ahead and clear the 
way, and find out what the other chaps are up 
to. Fraser’s the best man in the army, next to 
John Burgoyne.” 

“ I hope we’ll be with him, then,” said Jairus 
decidedly, giving his brother a glance full of mean- 
ing as he spoke. “ That’s the kind of work we can 
do best. Do you know what’s become of Arthur? 
That’s the other fellow who was with us when we 
joined the army.” 

“ No. I’d forgotten there was another one with 
you. You’ll find him in the morning. I’ve got to 
go on duty to-night, so you’ll have to keep this 
tent to yourselves. Think you can do it ? ” 

“We’ll try it,” responded Samuel quickly, almost 
too quickly, his brother thought ; for he added, “ I 
hope you won’t be gone all. night. When’ll you 
come back ? ” 

“ Twelve o’clock. But I’m off now, so good 
night to you. Your mother’s all right, I know.” 

For a long time the boys in - low tones talked 
over their situation when they were left to them- 
selves. To attempt to steal out of the camp that 
night was useless, for guards had been stationed 
on every side. Arthur’s disappearance troubled 
them, but at last they stretched themselves on 
the ground to take such rest as they could get, 
after having decided that their best and only safe 


58 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


course was to wait for the coming of the morning, 
and be ready to take advantage of the first oppor- 
tunity that presented itself. 

It was broad daylight when their companion 
aroused them. “ Come, boys, it’s time to turn out ! 
It’s all fixed, and you’ve been assigned to Fraser’s 
corps; just as I thought you’d be. You’ll see some 
fun pretty soon.” 

“ What, are we going to start to-day for Fort 
Ty?” said Jairus. 

“ No, not quite that. We’ve got to hang about 
here a bit. The general’s going to wait for more 
of the loyalists to join him. It seems there’s a lot 
of ’em coming from the other side of the lake. I 
guess it won’t be long before you can’t find a Whig 
on the shores of either lake. The sooner, the bet- 
ter for us all, say I.” 

“ Then you don’t think the Yankees will fight 
much?” asked Jairus quietly. 

“ Oh, they’ll fight some. I make no doubt of 
that; but what can they do against the artillery 
and the regulars ? And then, they haven’t any 
such men here as John Burgoyne is. He’s prom- 
ised to look after all who will come over to the 
king’s side now, and give them his protection, no 
matter who, or what, they were before.” 

“ That’s good of him,” said Samuel quietly. “ I 
wonder if he got all the Indians here to help him 
see that his words were carried out ? ” 

“ Oh, he thinks he’ll keep the redskins safe 


/AIR US ACTS. 


59 


enough,” said David confidently, and all unaware 
of the feeling implied in Samuel’s words. “ If 
there should be much fighting, why they might 
make trouble ; but as it is, you know, why the 
sight of the great army will be enough to bring 
every Whig to his knees. Do you know, I 
shouldn’t be surprised if Fort Ty gave up with- 
out a peep. So, you see, there’ll be no trouble 
with the redskins.” 

A few weeks later Samuel thought of these 
words of David, when before his face there was 
flourished a dark and glossy scalp, the sight of 
which drove the color from his face and filled his 
heart with an anguish which never found relief. 
But at the time, all were in ignorance of the com- 
ing events, and the strong confidence of David 
was not without a marked effect on both his 
hearers. 

They did their best, however, to keep up an 
appearance of interest, and when David turned to 
go and said: “By the way, Jairus, you are to go 
with Wyandot Panther and me across the lake 
this morning,” Jairus replied, “ I’m ready to go. 
How long will it be before we start?” 

“ I’ll be back for you in an hour or two ; so don’t 
go far away.” 

“ What are we going for ? ” 

“ Oh, it’s some message, I believe, for a man on 
the other shore. He’s a good loyalist and the gen- 
eral knows he can depend on him. He’s to make a 


6o 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


report, or some such thing, about the forces of the 
loyalists who are gathering there.” 

“ I’ll wait for you,” said Jairus, as David left the 
tent. 

Neither of the boys left the tent before David 
returned. They talked in low tones and tried to 
find some possible way out of their troubles, but 
none presented itself. 

“ No, Sam,” said Jairus at last. “ We’ll just have 
to keep our eyes open and do our best. If we get 
separated, then each one will have to look after him- 
self. Arthur Goodwin’s the one I’m most afraid 
of, for he can raise the mischief with us. We’re 
all right now, or at least thus far; for we’ve let his 
words stand just as he gave them. He thinks he’s 
trapped us into joining Burgoyne’s army; so we’ll 
let him think so for a while. But just let him look 
out. That’s all I’ve got to say.” 

“ Here’s David,” said Samuel, as their companion 
entered the tent. “ All ready? ” 

“Yes, we’re all ready. Come on, Jairus. Next 
time you can go, Sam, but this time the canoe won’t 
hold but three, and the Panther’s going to paddle. 
Come, Jairus; he’s waiting now down on the shore. 
We won’t be gone over night,” he added, as he and 
Jairus left the tent and started towards the lake. 

Wyandot Panther was waiting for them, and in a 
moment they had taken their places in the light 
canoe. The guns were placed carefully in the bot- 
tom, and as each was thoroughly at home in the use 


J AIR US ACTS. 


6l. 

of a canoe, they had no difficulty in maintaining 
their places as the Indian sent the little craft for- 
ward by his long and steady sweeps of the paddle. 

For a time they sped on in silence. Jairus 
watched the muscular savage as he skilfully swept 
the water. He was a tall and powerful Indian, and 
one for whom Jairus knew he would be no match 
in an encounter. His face was almost expression- 
less, and, save for an occasional gleam from his 
dark eyes as he glanced quickly out over the lake, 
would not have betrayed any of his feelings. 

No one spoke. The guns lay temptingly near 
him, and more than once Jairus was almost ready 
to grasp one and strive to make his escape. But 
what could he do? To swim ashore was impossi- 
ble from where they were, and if he should over- 
turn the canoe, it might only result in the death of 
all three. No, his only hope lay in waiting for aid, 
or for a favorable opportunity on shore ; but when 
he thought of the object of their voyage, his heart 
sank. What could he hope for ? 

Meanwhile, the canoe sped on and on, the Indian 
being apparently tireless in his efforts. As steadily 
as if he had been a machine he kept the paddle 
moving and held the canoe to its course. 

But at last the shore became more distinct. The 
outlines of trees and rocks could be seen, and in a 
brief time the canoe was drawn up on the beach by 
the three men, and they leaped lightly ashore. 

“ Now, Jairus, you and the Panther wait for me 


62 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


here. I’ll not be gone long, and I’ll know just what 
to do when I come back.” 

The Indian made no reply, and Jairus soon fol- 
lowed his example and seated himself to await the 
return of their companion. But his thoughts be- 
came more and more bitter. There he was, appar- 
ently aiding the king’s side. The canoe looked up 
at him temptingly. His gun was on the ground by 
his side, and yet he did not dare to use it. He 
knew not how many men might be near. Perhaps 
even now they were watching him. 

He glanced behind him at the thought, but the 
monotonous outline of the forest was unbroken. 
The sighing of the trees, the ripples on the shore, 
the songs of the birds were there, but that was 
all. And yet freedom was so near, if only he could 
gain it ! 

A low exclamation from his companion caused 
him to look up, just as David returned and said : 
“ I’ve got to see two more men, and I’ll have to go 
down the shore a piece. I’m going through the 
woods, and want you to take the canoe and paddle 
down to the point.” He gave some minute instruc- 
tions to the Panther, and then turned quickly again 
and disappeared from sight. 

To his offer to paddle, the Indian made no re- 
sponse, and accordingly Jairus took his place in 
the canoe once more. The Panther’s strokes were 
even swifter and more powerful than before. His 
appearance was hideous, and when Jairus thought 


J AIR US ACTS . 


63 


of the name by which he had heard him called, — 
“Wyandot Panther,” — he knew that it must be 
characteristic of the warrior. What a dangerous 
enemy he would be! Jairus was no stripling, 
but he knew he would be helpless if once he 
were within the grasp of the powerful warrior 
before him. 

The Panther held the canoe well inshore now, 
and the steady strokes would soon bring them to 
the point they were seeking. 

Thoughts of his mother and her danger, of the 
garrison at Fort Ticonderoga, and how that prob- 
ably they were all unsuspicious of the impending 
peril flashed through Jairus’s mind. And yet he 
was assisting the enemy ! 

Almost desperate, he glanced again at the Indian 
before him. He was on his knees now and his back 
was toward Jairus. How he hated the sight of him ! 
How he would like to throw him into the lake ! 

Suddenly a new impulse seized him. In his des- 
peration he determined to make one effort to escape. 
The gun was near his feet, and without changing 
his position he reached forward and slowly drew it 
to him. He knew not who might be watching him 
from the shore, but he did know that the sound of 
a shot might bring about him a multitude of ene- 
mies, and escape would then be an impossibility. 

The eun was in his hands now, and the Panther 
had not turned. For several minutes more the 
canoe sped on, the Indian working silently and 


6 4 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


steadily, and still Jairus hesitated. Should he 
shoot ? 

Suddenly the Indian uttered a low exclamation 
and slightly changed the course of the canoe. It 
was then or never that Jairus must act, and after 
hesitating but a moment he said in a low voice : 
“ No, no. Keep on up the lake.” 

The Panther turned quickly at the word, and the 
desperate lad as quickly brought the old flint-lock 
to his shoulder. 


CHAPTER VI. 


THE STRUGGLE IN THE WATER. 

For a moment the two men were motionless. 
Jairus felt, rather than saw, that the eyes of the 
Panther were glittering as they gazed at him, but 
the open muzzle of even an old flint-lock is a very 
effectual check upon active demonstrations. Jairus, 
seated in the stern, held the gun steadily to his 
shoulder, and the Indian merely dropped the paddle 
which he had lifted from the water at the unexpected 
summons, and, without moving a muscle, gazed at 
the young man in front of him. 

The strain was intense, and Jairus knew that his 
own heart was beating rapidly. In his momentary 
desperation he had spoken the word, but now that 
his summons was heeded he hardly knew what to 
do. To shoot might arouse the waiting men on 
the shore, for he was satisfied from David’s words 
that “ the irregulars ” were assembling, and, doubt- 
less, at any moment might appear in large numbers 
to cross the lake to join Burgoyne. And, besides, 
there was the horror of taking a human life, even 
that of a painted savage who would not hesitate a 

65 


F 


66 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


moment to take his if the advantage were on his 
side. 

How the affair might have terminated if the out- 
come had been left to him, he never knew, but it 
was settled a moment later when, with a yell that 
almost made him drop his gun, the Panther, with a 
sudden leap, sprang into the water and overturned 
the canoe. 

Jairus pressed his finger on the trigger and the 
sharp report of his gun rang out ; but his aim had 
been destroyed by the sudden movement of the 
Indian, and in a moment he found himself in the 
water. The gun sank in the lake, and he felt him- 
self going down. 

By a desperate effort he rose quickly to the sur- 
face, and as soon as his head was above the water 
he saw what the purpose of the Panther was. Evi- 
dently the canoe had floated farther from him than 
he had counted upon, but he was swimming with 
desperate strokes towards the little craft. 

It was a few yards nearer Jairus, however, and 
the lad struck out for it with lusty strokes. He 
had moccasins on his feet, as the Indian had, and 
his clothing was but a slight encumbrance. He 
realized at once that it was a desperate race, and 
that whoever should be the first to gain the canoe 
would probably save his own life, while the loser 
in the race might forfeit his. 

Jairus was an expert swimmer and for years had 
had practice in the art; for at the close of the 


THE STRUGGLE IN THE WATER. 67 

summer days, he and Samuel had been accustomed 
to seek a sheltered spot by the lake side, and swim 
and dive in the cool water ; and all he had gained 
stood him in good stead now. 

Swift swimmer as he was, however, the Indian 
was as swift as he. Jairus could see the water al- 
most boil as the muscular savage forced his way 
onward. Each swimmer realized the necessity 
of doing his utmost, and Jairus put forth all the 
strength he could summon. Important as the race 
was, the end would come in a minute, and the eager 
lad almost shouted as he saw that he was the first 
to arrive at the canoe. 

There was no time in which to turn, or try to 
crawl into the canoe, and he therefore gave it one 
quick, hard push and sent it yards ahead of both of 
them. 

Again the race was resumed, and the swimmers 
were not far apart now. The struggle became even 
more desperate than before. The still waters of 
the lake were rolled back in waves as they plunged 
onward. Their breath came in quick, hard gasps, 
and each could hear the heavy breathing of the 
other. Still, neither turned to glance behind him, 
the one aim of each now being to gain the canoe 
before the other. 

Jairus felt rather than saw that he was gaining 
slightly. The efforts he was putting forth, how- 
ever, could not long be continued. If the issue of 
the race became a question of endurance, he was 


68 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


well aware what the outcome would be. What he 
was to do, he must do quickly, and once more shut- 
ting his teeth tightly together, and hardly breathing 
under the great strain, he strove to increase his 
efforts. 

Again he was the first to gain the canoe, but 
once more he saw that before he could clamber in 
the Indian would be upon him, and, besides, there 
was little likelihood that he could keep the light 
craft from capsizing; and again he gave the boat 
a hard push and sent it far ahead of them. 

There was a desperate thought in his mind now 
of turning and entering into a contest with the Ind- 
ian in the water, where he thought he might not 
be at such a disadvantage as he would be on shore ; 
but one hasty glance at the savage face behind him, 
rendered more hideous now by the effect of the 
water on his war-paint, was sufficient, and he turned 
and again began his desperate struggle to be once 
more the first to gain the canoe. 

His heart almost stood still when he looked 
at the canoe and perceived that his last effort had 
sent it straight upon the shore of a little island 
near by. The island was only a rock which jutted 
out of the water, and he could see that it was sur- 
rounded by a shoal ; but he knew now that if he 
gained the boat first, the end of the struggle had 
come. If he should fail, the advantage would all 
then be with his enemy, and although he was be- 
ginning to feel the effect of his fearful contest, he 


THE STRUGGLE IN THE WATER. 69 

again increased his efforts and swam on even more 
swiftly than before. He was aware that the Pan- 
ther knew as well as he that the end was at hand, 
and that he, too, had increased his speed. 

Once more Jairus realized that he was gaining, 
though his lead was not great enough to furnish 
much comfort. Moment after moment passed, and 
still the desperate lad struggled on. 

He was the first to gain the shoal, which, he per- 
ceived as soon as his feet touched bottom, did not 
gradually taper into the lake, but came to a sudden 
end. 

Struggling, stumbling, almost falling, hardly able 
to draw his breath, he somehow rushed forward and 
his hand rested on the edge of the canoe. With 
one desperate effort he threw himself into it and 
felt that the impetus he had given it had sent it 
farther out into the lake, and that now it was free 
from the shore. 

He gained his balance as he rose to his feet, and 
as he turned to use the paddle which he had hastily 
seized, for somehow the canoe had quickly righted 
itself after he and the Indian had left it, he saw 
the head of the Panther within two feet of the stern. 
In a moment his hand would be on it and then the 
canoe would be overturned and he would again be 
thrown into the water, and the advantage would all 
be with the savage, whose eyes were already shin- 
ing with the triumph he thought was to be his. 

Hardly realizing what he was doing, Jairus 


70 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


quickly raised the paddle and brought it down 
with all his strength on the Indian’s head just as 
his hand was stretched forth to grasp the edge of 
the canoe. 

The hand was withdrawn as the blow fell, the 
efforts ceased, and before he fully realized what had 
taken place the Indian sank into the water. A few 
bubbles appeared, there was a ripple for a moment, 
and then the waters of the lake were as placid as 
if they had never witnessed a struggle such as that 
which was now ended. 

Without waiting to see whether the Indian would 
rise again to the surface, and without a thought 
that the terrific blow he had struck could be other 
than fatal, Jairus at once began to wield the pad- 
dle, and, almost as desperate as he had been in the 
contest just finished, sent the canoe swiftly on up 
the lake. The struggle might have been seen from 
the shore, and the fear of possible pursuit furnished 
an added motive now for his continued efforts. 
For three-quarters of an hour he did not cease his 
paddling, but then the weary lad stopped and 
looked carefully about him. 

Almost unconsciously he had kept his course far 
out in the lake. Whether he had been seen or not, 
he could not tell, but he must stop and determine 
what his further course was to be. 

His first thought was of his mother. More than 
thirty hours had passed since the boys had left 
home, and he knew that not a word could have 


THE STRUGGLE IN THE IV A TER. 


71 


come to her of their whereabouts. Doubtless, her 
first thought would be that they had been killed by 
the panther they had set forth to shoot. And yet 
she would not believe that all three of them had 
been slain by the savage beast. Perhaps she her- 
self had gone out to learn the cause of this delay, 
and it was more than possible that she might have 
fallen a victim to the panther, which would be 
doubly savage, as she had just been robbed of her 
mate. 

The thought made the weary boy shudder, and 
he thrust his paddle quickly into the water, deter- 
mined to return and learn of his mother’s condition, 
and, if she were still living, to assure her of his own 
welfare, and tell her where Samuel was. 

He had taken two or three strokes when a new 
thought presented itself. Not more than thirty or 
thirty-five miles away lay old Fort Ty and its garri- 
son. Did the men know of the presence of Bur- 
goyne and his great army ? And ought not his 
first duty to be to inform them of his discovery ? 

For a time Jairus hesitated, divided in his feelings 
between his anxiety for his mother and the duty of 
informing the garrison. 

At last, with a heavy sigh he said to himself, “To 
the old fort, it is. Mother, you’ll have to wait a bit 
before you get your message. I know you’ll say I’m 
doing right, and if I can only get word to the fort in 
time, it may be that I’ll be doing the very best thing 
for you, as well as for them. Here she goes !” 


72 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Hesitating no longer, Jairus again began to send 
the canoe forward up the lake. He knew that his 
task was to be no light one. To paddle the canoe 
thirty miles up the lake would tax his powers to the 
utmost, and so he began to measure his strength 
and try to keep the canoe steadily on her way, rather 
than to make the highest speed. 

It was almost the middle of the afternoon now. 
The wind had all died away, and scarcely a ripple 
could be seen on the surface of the lake. The 
covering for his head had been lost in his plunge 
into the water, and the little clothing he had on 
was soaked and dripping. He cared for none of 
these things, however; for the day was warm and 
the night air would not be chilly. 

Occasionally, he stopped and looked back over 
the lake. He could see the shores in the distance, 
and here and there appeared a bird flying low over 
the water. Occasionally, also, there would be a 
whirl on the surface, and he knew that some fish 
had arisen for his supper. 

The thought brought a faint smile to his face as 
he realized that his own supper would be very like 
the dinner he had had — nothing. 

When the excitement passed, and he was fully 
persuaded that he was not pursued, a strange weari- 
ness took hold upon him. His arms and back 
ached under the strain he was giving them, but he 
seldom relaxed his efforts. He had determined to 
bear the tidings he had to give to the garrison at 


THE STRUGGLE IN THE WATER . 73 

Ticonderoga; and the thought of what it might 
mean to them, and indirectly to his mother, his 
brother, and himself, provided the needful stimulus. 

The afternoon passed, and the weary boy still 
paddled on. The sun sank lower and lower in the 
west, and finally disappeared. The stars came out 
in the sky; he could hear the occasional mournful 
calls of the owls on the shore ; the night birds and 
bats appeared here and there, and darted about him 
as if they could not comprehend the meaning of his 
visit in the darkness. 

The shores of the lake were not so far apart now 
as they had been. He stopped more frequently and 
listened. The night was not very clear, although 
he could make out the stars above him, but he 
could neither see nor hear anything to alarm him. 

Jairus was a resolute lad, and his sturdy frame 
was capable of great endurance, but he was becom- 
ing thoroughly weary. His escape from the Indian, 
the race in the water, a race for life, and the long- 
continued paddling all combined now in their effects, 
and the boy was becoming almost exhausted. 

He almost ceased to be mindful of danger, but 
still he paddled on and on, as if he were some 
machine. Would the end never come? The 
steady sound of his paddle was seldom broken 
now. An enemy might creep up near him and he 
would not have discovered him until he was close 
by. The one thought in the mind of the desperate 
boy was that, come what might, he must go on to 


74 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


old Ty with his message, and then the labor would 
be ended and he could rest. 

The darkness became deeper. The silence was 
almost oppressive and there were times when Jairus 
felt that he must shout, or he would go mad. His 
hands were raw and bleeding, his breath came in 
gasps, and if any one could have looked on his face 
they would have seen that it was marked with suffer- 
ing. Still the canoe sped on; still the lad did not 
lay down the paddle. 

Suddenly an interruption came. Almost before 
he was aware of it a boat of some kind shot across 
his bow. He indistinctly heard the sound of voices, 
and dimly realized that the party must consist of 
several men. He did not know whether he was 
afraid or glad ; it made little difference now. 

“ Hello, the canoe ! Stop ! Give an account of 
yourself ! ” 

He heard the command spoken in a low voice, 
and knew the boat was near. He ceased paddling, 
but made no reply to the hail. It seemed to him 
that his tongue was paralyzed, and he could not 
utter a sound. 

“ Didn’t you hear the hail ? Can’t you give an 
account of yourself? You might get blown to 
smithereens by such tomfoolery.” 

Still Jairus made no reply, although he knew that 
there was a boat alongside now, and that some one 
had grasped the edge of the canoe. 

For the past few miles Jairus had been on his. 



STILL THE CANOE SPED ON; STILL THE LAD DID NOT LAY DOWN THE PADDLE. 


> 
























































* 

















































TILE STRUGGLE IN THE WATER. 


75 


knees paddling, and even when he realized that the 
canoe had been taken in tow, and that he was being 
drawn through the water without any effort on his 
part, he did not change his position. All that he 
was aware of, was that some one had taken him, 
and that the end of his voyage, whatever that end 
might be, had come. 


CHAPTER VII. 


WITHIN THE FORT. 

When Jairus first realized where he was, and 
what was about him, he found himself in a boat, 
and several men were with him. He had eaten 
nothing since early morning, and his struggle with 
the Panther and his ceaseless efforts during the 
remainder of the day and far into the night, for 
the morning was almost come when he arrived at 
the end of his voyage, had almost exhausted him. 

He was only dimly conscious that he was not 
alone, and that the men about him were talking in 
low tones. Just how long he had been there he 
did not know, but as soon as he was aware of his 
surroundings, the purpose of his visit flashed into 
his mind, and he quickly raised himself into a 
sitting posture. 

“ Ah, the lad’s come to,” he heard one of the men 
say. “ Now he can explain to us how he happened 
to be out in that ere canoe. Now, sonny, give us 
yer story.” 

Jairus realized that one of the men was speaking 
to him, but, tired as he was, he did not know into 
whose hands he had fallen. It was too dark to per- 

76 


WITHIN THE FORT 


77 


ceive whether the men wore uniforms or not, but 
the twang in the speaker’s tones led him to believe 
that he must belong to the region. 

“Where am I? Who’s got m£? Who are you?” 
at last he managed to say. 

“ Who be we ? ” said the man who had spoken 
before. “ Neow that ere’s most too hard to tell. 
We’ve got some men here who’ve been a travellin’ 
up and deown the arth as Satan did when he found 
Job. The proper question’s, who be you? Don’t 
ye mind us, but jest give a little account o’ yerself. 
That’s the proper thing to do jest at the present 
time.” 

Jairus was too weary to think, but he knew from 
the distance that he had covered that he must be 
somewhere near the American lines, and resolving 
to venture all in his reply, he said : “ I’ve just 
escaped from Burgoyne’s camp. I’ve been paddling 
that canoe since morning. I couldn’t stop, for I 
wanted to get word to Ticonderoga that the British 
were coming up the lake.” 

Too exhausted to speak further, he ceased, and 
waited almost with a feeling of indifference for the 
reply to be spoken. 

“ Ye’ve brought yer goods to the correct market, 
young man. I don’t know as ye’ve told us any 
news, for we happen to know what Burgoyne’s up to, 
but ’twas a brave deed. ’Twas that, and Jeremiah 
Thatcher, for one, is glad ye’ve come. Tell us some 
more, will ye ? ” 


78 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Thus bidden, Jairus briefly related the story of 
his adventures, and as soon as he had finished, 
another of the men said, “Jeremiah, ye’d better take 
him right up to the general and let him tell his 
story.” 

“ I’ll take him, never you fear, Godlove Brown ; 
but I’m not so onhuman as to do it afore I’ve cared 
for this man what’s fallen among thieves, — no, I 
mean what’s fallen out from ’em. I’ll feed him first, 
and then take him up to the general.” 

Some food was given the half-famished boy, and, 
plain though it was, Jairus thought he never had 
tasted anything so good. By the time he had 
eaten, the dawn was beginning to appear in the 
east, and he could discern the faces of the men in 
the company. There were five in the boat with him, 
and their rough and rugged faces were beaming upon 
him with an expression of sympathy mingled with 
that of their interest. 

“ I’m ready to go now,” said Jairus, greatly re- 
freshed. “ The sooner I go, the better for me.” 

“ I’ll take ye, young man,” said Jeremiah, whom 
Jairus perceived to be a man about forty-five years 
of age. 

He was tall and thin, but the lad could easily 
perceive that he was possessed of great strength. 
There was a twinkle in his eye, however, that 
betrayed his good heart, and Jairus was satisfied 
that he would only receive aid from him. 

“Step into this skiff, kind sir,” continued Jere- 


WITHIN THE FORT. 


79 


miah, “ and we’ll find Gen’ral St. Clair afore he’s had 
time to break his fast.” 

Jairus stepped into the skiff obediently, and took 
his seat in the stern as Jeremiah grasped the oars 
and began to row towards the shore. 

What a relief it was to find himself with friends ! 
The weary boy felt almost strong again, and his 
animation became at once apparent to his com- 
panion, who looked at him in a kindly manner, as 
he rowed on. 

“ Is General St. Clair in command of Ticon- 
deroga?” inquired Jairus. “I thought that Gen- 
eral Schuyler was there. But then I lived so far 
away, I never heard what was going on.” 

“ Yes, sir, Gen’ral St. Clair’s the man. General 
Schuyler’s so-called friends wanted that little pop- 
injay Gates to take hold here, but he’s too big a 
man. I hev a dim suspicion as how Gates’s nether 
garments pinch him a bit. Mebbe you’ve heard 
tell of sich folks afore ? ” 

Jairus smiled as he replied: “ I guess so, but has 
General St. Clair got men enough to make a stand 
against Burgoyne ? There must be eight or ten 
thousand men with him.” 

“ I guess so,” replied Jeremiah, resting on his 
oars. “ Now afore I go any farther, I want ye to 
tell me who ye be. Who are ye, anyway ? I guess 
yer all right, but speak out, my son.” 

“ My name’s Jairus Goodwin, and I went in on the 
west side o’ the lake with my mother and my brother 


8o 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


after my father died a few years ago on the other 
shore of the lake.” 

“ Goodwin ! Goodwin ! Ye don’t say so ! Be ye 
any relation to Bartholomew Goodwin, what I used 
to know up among the green hills ? ” 

“ He was my father,” replied Jairus quietly. 

“Yer father! Ye don’t say so! Why, I knew 
him better nor a book. Yes, a big sight better nor 
I knew any book,” repeated the oarsman, with a 
smile. “ Why, I used to play with your pa, then. 
I heard as how he had died. Yes, and didn’t I 
hear as how his brother up at St. John’s had kind 
a skinned the family out o’ all their belong- 
ings ? ” 

“ Yes,” replied Jairus simply. He had no 
thought of going into the details of his family 
history with the inquisitive man before him. 

“Jest as I cacalated,” said Jeremiah gleefully. 
“Jest ezactly as I cacalated. I might a known it 
when I first saw ye. Ye’ve got yer pa’s nose and 
eyes.” 

Jairus only smiled by way of reply, and Jeremiah 
resumed his work at the oars. “ Now that I know 
who ye be, I don’t mind talkin’. Yes, I guess St. 
Clair’s enough fer Burgoyne, seein’ as old Ty’s a 
pretty strong place. Pretty strong, ye know. 
We’ve got watch-boats out all the time, and we’ve 
got a lot o’ brush and stuff fixed fer the Britishers 
to travel over when they come along here. Still, 
St. Clair found only about two thousand men in the 


WITHIN THE FORT. 


Si 


fort when he first came. He could have jest as 
many as Burgoyne’s got, only there wasn’t stuff 
enough here to feed so many.” 

“ Why doesn’t Congress furnish supplies ? ” 

“ Oh, that’s somethin’ no son o’ woman can tell. 
It’s reported as how they didn’t believe the British 
was a cornin’ down this way till we heard Burgoyne 
had started out from Quebec. They thought they’d 
come along down the coast and make trouble fer 
the coast towns, ye see, so they tried to fix them up 
a bit. But ble£s yer heart, the fust thing we knew 
Burgoyne had started out and we wasn’t ready. 
Still, I guess old Ty can hold her own. Then over 
at Independence there’s artillery and batteries and 
things, and that’s better fixed up with men and pro- 
visions than old Ty is. Yes, sir, you can rest yer 
boots on Mount Independence every time. I’ll 
soon have ye up to the general’s quarters now, 
though I don’t b’lieve ye’ve brought much he 
didn’t know afore.” 

“ I wish I’d gone across the lake to my mother, 
then,” said Jairus slowly. 

“What’s that about yer ma?”said Jeremiah, in- 
terested at once. 

Jairus repeated the story of the manner in which 
he and his brother had left home, and by the time 
he had finished, they had left their skiff and arrived 
under the walls of the old fort. 

Jeremiah had only whistled in reply to Jairus’s 
story, and if the lad had observed him closely he 


82 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


would have seen that his companion was unusually 
thoughtful. 

His own attention, however, was soon drawn to 
the fort into which an entrance was readily gained, 
and both Jairus and the soldier were conducted to 
the quarters of General St. Clair. 

It seemed to Jairus as if no power on earth could 
shake the walls of the old fort. It was the first 
time he had ever been within such a place, and he 
naturally was greatly impressed by all he saw. In- 
deed, his hopes began to rise that even the mighty 
army of John Burgoyne might not be able to do 
much against such a strongly fortified place as 
Ticonderoga was. 

His attention, however, was soon withdrawn 
from the garrison to the general himself, into whose 
presence they were soon admitted. The com- 
mander plainly showed his Scotch ancestry in his 
speech, and his face also betrayed his original 
nationality. He was about forty-three years of age 
at this time, and had seen active service under 
Wolfe, and later in January, 1776, he had been 
made a colonel in the Continental army. 

In August of that same year he had been pro- 
moted, and made a brigadier-general, and in that 
capacity had taken an active part in the battles of 
Trenton and Princeton. In February, 1777, he 
was made a major-general, and in June had taken 
command of Fort Ticonderoga by the order of 
General Philip Schuyler. 


WITHIN THE FORT. 


83 


Jeremiah did the most of the talking as he and 
Jairus stood before the commander. General St. 
Clair listened attentively, and after explaining that 
the most of the information which Jairus brought 
he possessed already, he turned to the embarrassed 
boy and began to ask him questions. 

“ Do you know how many British troops are in 
General Burgoyne’s army ? ” 

“ The report in the camp was that there were 
three thousand seven hundred and twenty-four.” 

“ How many Germans were there ? ” 

“ I can’t say positively, but one of the lieutenants 
told me there were three thousand and sixteen.” 

“ I fancy there are a good many Tories and irreg- 
ulars also ? ” 

“Yes, and lots of Indians.” 

General St. Clair’s face took on a scowl at the 
words, but he only said : “ I’m glad you have brought 
me this information. It serves to confirm the re- 
ports our scouts have brought in. Where was it 
you left the British ?” 

“It was near the falls of the Bouquet.” 

“ That, also, is what I have learned from the 
scouts. You’ll take a place in our ranks, young 
man r 

“ Yes. But I should like very much to go back 
home and look up my mother. I think I can be 
back before two days have passed.” 

“ I see no objection to that. Be sure you come 
back.” 


8 4 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ If there’s no objection, I’d like to go along with 
him, general,” interposed Jeremiah. “ He’s the son 
of an old friend and I’d like very much to help him. 
Besides, I’ll see that he’s back in camp on time.” 

“ That can be arranged,” said the general, and 
they left his quarters at once. 

“ Neow ye’ll have to take a little nap, Jairus, 
afore we go. Besides, we don’t want to start till 
night. Come along with me and I’ll fix ye out.” 

Jairus hesitated, so eager was he to start at once, 
but in a moment he knew the old soldier had 
spoken truly and that they could well afford to put 
off their departure till night. They sought Jere- 
miah’s quarters immediately, and soon both men 
were asleep. 

It was dusk when Jairus opened his eyes. In the 
dim light he perceived that some one was standing 
near him. At first he could not determine who it 
was or where he was ; but as he heard the voice, it 
all came back to him, and he quickly arose. 

“ There, ye’re awake at last, are ye ? It’s time we 
was a goin’. Ye’re a goin’ to have company, too. 
’Twon’t be such a lonesome trip down the lake as 
ye had cornin’ up. I’ve got it all fixed, and as soon’s 
ye’ve had suthin’ to eat, we’ll start.” 

“ Who’s going with me ? Any one besides you ? ” 
asked Jairus quickly. 

“ Nary a one. I’ll guess I’ll be enough to satisfy 
ye. Come on and get yer supper.” 

Jairus arose obediently and as soon as he had 


WITHIN THE FORT. 


85 


eaten the food the kind-hearted old soldier provided, 
they sought the shore of the lake and embarked in 
the little canoe in which Jairus had made his voy- 
age on the preceding day. 

All night long they toiled on, Jeremiah paddling 
most of the way and only permitting his young 
companion to take brief turns with him. “Ye’ve 
had enough for one mortal man, I should think,” 
was all the remark he would make in explanation. 

The sun had only been two hours above the hori- 
zon when they landed, and after carefully concealing 
the canoe they began to make their way towards 
the place where Jairus’s home had been. The boy 
was trembling in his eagerness as they walked on 
together. Soon he would see his mother. Her 
fears would be relieved, and as soon as he had pro- 
vided for her welfare, he would return to Ticonder- 
oga and rejoin the army ; for he was determined now 
to enter the struggle. 

At last they arrived at the place from which they 
could look down upon the house, but a cry of dis- 
may escaped the lips of Jairus as they gained the 
point. The house had disappeared and only ashes 
marked the spot where it had been. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

JEREMIAH INVESTIGATES. 

For a moment Jairus could hardly believe that 
he was not dreaming as he looked at the sight 
before him. The trees and bushes about his home 
were standing just as they had been two days before; 
the water from the never-failing spring was trickling 
down the hillside ; the birds were flitting about from 
bough to bough and filling the air with their songs. 
All things apparently were just as they had been 
when he and his two companions had started on 
their search for the panther’s mate, all save the little 
house of logs which had been his home, and that of 
his mother and brother, for the past three years. 
But what a difference the loss of that made ! 

He noted that in one or two places little curls of 
smoke were still rising from the ashes, showing that 
the house could not have been burned many hours 
before. Here and there little clouds or eddies of 
ashes were caught up by the morning breeze and 
whirled about for a moment and then dropped once 
more into the mass. Almost nothing of the timbers 
remained, except that here and there a few pieces of 
86 


JEREMIAH INVESTIGATES. 


87 


charred wood could be seen, but even they were 
almost concealed from sight by heaps and piles of 
ashes. 

A low cry escaped from the startled boy’s lips as, 
recalled to himself, he darted forward and began to 
examine the ground about the ruins, looking for some- 
thing which might indicate whether his mother had 
fled, or had perished in the downfall of her home. 

He had gone far in advance of his companion as 
they had drawn near the familiar place, and in his 
eagerness to be the first to greet his mother and 
relieve her from the fears and anxiety which he 
knew she must have for her absent boys, he had 
almost forgotten that Jeremiah was with him. 

He was reminded of the fact that he was not 
alone, however, by the startled exclamation of the 
old soldier as he hastened up the hillside and 
stopped in surprise as he, too, saw the desolate 
scene before him. 

“Gum!” said Jeremiah. “Gum” was the one 
word he indulged himself in when language failed 
to express his sentiments. “ Gum! Jairus, ye don’t 
mean to say this was where ye lived, do ye ? ” 

“ Yes,” replied the sadly troubled boy. “ Two 
days ago I left mother here, and the house was all 
right. Now look at it ! Look at it ! The house is 
gone and I don’t know whether mother was burned 
up in it, or whether she’s been killed and scalped by 
the Indians or carried away by some of the British. 
Help me, Jeremiah! Oh, mother!” and the heart- 


88 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


broken boy could not check the tears that began to 
pour down his face. 

“We’ll look about and see what we can find,” re- 
plied Jeremiah. “ I never believed ’twas a very good 
thing to give up ev’ry thing afore ye had to. The 
house is gone, that’s a fact what none can dispute, 
but as fer yer ma, that’s another matter entirely.” 

Jeremiah, who was himself almost as keen as an 
Indian in his skill in woodcraft, dropped imme- 
diately upon his hands and knees, and began to 
examine the ground about the place. 

“ Ye’d better do jest as I’m a doin’, Jairus. 
We’ll make a circle, or a ‘ detoar ’ as they say in the 
fort. Ye go reound one way, and I’ll go reound the 
other, and when we meet we’ll begin to compare 
notes.” 

Jairus immediately acted upon the suggestion, 
and upon his hands and knees began to crawl slowly 
around the place. He examined every spot of 
ground in his pathway, turning up the grass blades 
and striving to discover some trace of visitors, and 
something which might indicate how many there 
had been of them and in which direction they had 
gone when they had departed. 

There were moments when his eyes were so 
blurred that he could not see the ground before 
him, and he was compelled to wait and go over the 
same place again. Then, as the picture of the 
sufferings of his mother rose before him and he 
thought of the panther or of possible redcoats 


JEREMIAH INVESTIGATES. 


89 


who might have fired the house and carried her 
away with them, his heart would be bitter and 
hard, and the first impulse in his thoughts was to 
start straight for the camp of Burgoyne and de- 
mand to know what had become of her, or seek her 
release if she were a captive there. 

He said nothing, however, but worked on slowly 
and patiently and after a little time came face to 
face with Jeremiah, who also was on his hands and 
knees. One glance at him, however, revealed his 
lack of success. 

“Did ye find anything, Jairus?” inquired Jere- 
miah, looking at him, as the troubled boy thought, 
with unusual tenderness. 

“ Not a thing. But I’ve been thinking that pos- 
sibly somebody might be hiding here and expecting 
we would return, and wing us as they would a 
duck on the lake. It isn’t fair nor right to keep you 
here, Jeremiah ; for some one may pick you off any 
minute.” 

“ Naw, I guess not,” replied the soldier, glancing 
keenly about him nevertheless as he spoke. “ Naw, 
I guess not. I thought o’ that very thing, but I 
took a good look around afore I dropped on my 
knees. Mebbe when they saw Jeremiah in that 
position, it made ’em start off, they was so scared ; 
but I guess there isn’t anybody a watchin’ of us. 
Let’s go reound agin. Mebbe you’ll find somethin’ 
on my side or I’ll find somethin’ on yours. Let’s 
try it, anyway. There’s nothin’ like tryin’.” 


90 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


Again the two men went carefully around the 
circle, but when they met it was evident that neither 
had made any discovery, and Jairus for a moment 
could hardly trust himself to speak. 

“ We’ll find somethin’, never ye fear, Jairus,” said 
Jeremiah consolingly. “ Ev’ry knot that can be 
tied can be ontied, that’s the motto what I’ve always 
gone on. Neow let’s draw back here out o’ the sight 
o’ any callers what might happen along, and talk it 
over,” and leading the way he and his companion 
soon seated themselves on the ground within the 
shelter of the adjacent forest. 

“ Neow let’s look over the facts o’ the case. First 
of all, the house is burned up. That’s plain to be 
seen, and there isn’t a bit o’ difference in opinion 
about that, is there ? ” 

Jairus shook his head, but made no other reply. 

“ Fact number two is that it must a got afire. 
Question — did she set it afire, or did somebody do 
it for her ? ” 

Still Jairus was silent, and Jeremiah, speaking as 
if his companion had replied as he desired to his 
questions, went on with his investigation. 

“Answer first — she probably didn’t set it afire. 
Neow, if she didn’t set it afire, then it’s jest as plain 
as the nose on my face somebody else did it for her.” 

“ It might have caught fire,” suggested Jairus. 

“ Yes, it might, and probably it did, but it was set 
afire first, I tell ye; log houses don’t have a habit 
of getting on fire all by themselves — leastwise not 


JEREMIAH INVESTIGATES. 


91 


at this time o’ year. Neow let’s proceed. Question 
number three — did she have any enemies who 
would be likely to do the job for her ? Any neigh- 
bors now, or redskins, that was agin her ? ” 

“ She always fed the Indians when they came to 
the door. The only enemy she had was my uncle. 
But he lives away up at St. John’s and it isn’t very 
probable he had anything to do with it.” 

“ Reasonable, my son, reasonable. I know that 
story and I know the man. He’s got a disposition 
to do jest sech things, but I don’t b’lieve he’s any- 
where near. There’s too many soldiers and too 
much likelihood of somebody gettin’ hurt for him to 
be around here. No, he’d rather scare helpless 
widows and orphins than be anywhere near men. 
Jairus, was it forenoon or afternoon when you boys 
started after that catamount ? ” 

“ Forenoon. Why ? ” 

“ Never mind the whys and wherefores now. I’m 
a gettin’ after facts ; that’s all I want jest at present. 
What time did ye have dinner ? ” 

“We didn’t come home to dinner at all that day. 
I thought I told you.” 

“ Ye did. Ye did. But what time did ye usually 
have dinner? That’s what I mean.” 

“ About noon.” 

“ Jest as I ca’c’lated. Jest ezactly. Neow I should 
figger that them ashes must ’a’ been smokin’ for 
a good twenty-four hour. Don’t they look so to 
ye ? ” 


92 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ Yes,” replied Jairus, somewhat mystified by his 
companion’s manner. “Yes, I guess so.” 

“ Well, now, I tell ye. I’d stake my gun against 
a barrel stave that yer mother waited for ye to come 
home to dinner and ye didn’t come. Prob’ly she 
waited and waited, and then she began to think 
about catamounts and things, and finally she couldn’t 
stand it a minute longer, and by the time it began to 
get dark she started out to see what had become of 
her babies. She didn’t find 'em, and what’s more, 
she didn’t find somethin’ else besides.” 

“What?” inquired Jairus eagerly; for he was all 
interest now. 

“ Her way. She got lost or hid from the redskins 
somewhere in the woods. Leastwise, I don’t think 
she was here when the house took afire.” 

“ Why not ? ” 

“ ’Cause I’ve been clear round the clearing and 
there isn’t a trace of a woman’s foot anywhere to be 
seen. So, ye see, she didn’t run out to the spring 
as she would ’a’ done for water if the house got afire 
when she was here alone ; and she wasn’t carried 
away, either, for there isn’t a track on the ground to 
show that.” 

“ Maybe she was burned up inside the house. 
That might happen.” 

“ No, it couldn’t, either. She wouldn’t stay inside 
o’ even her own house to get burned up, would she ? 
Leastwise, that isn’t what / think Jairus Goodwin’s 
ma would do.” 


JEREMIAH INVESTIGATES. 


93 


“ Then you think we’d better go down by the 
sheep-pen and see what we can find there ? ” said 
Jairus eagerly, leaping to his feet as he spoke, and 
preparing to start immediately. 

“ That’s jest what I think we’d better do,” replied 
Jeremiah, at once arising and joining the eager boy. 

He did not allude to any of the unexpressed fears 
in his own heart ; for he was doing his utmost to 
cheer the almost heart-broken boy, and this one 
possibility that lay before them he was more than 
eager to test. 

Jairus, in his eagerness, ran ahead of his com- 
panion, and soon the soldier was left at a consider- 
able distance behind. They had covered about 
half the distance to the sheep-pen when Jeremiah 
suddenly noticed something near the path. He 
stopped ; his face clouded, and in a moment he 
uttered a low call that soon brought Jairus back 
to his side. 

“What is it, Jeremiah? Have you heard some- 
thing?” whispered Jairus. 

“ No, but I’ve seen somethin’. What’s that in 
them bushes there ? ” 

Jairus looked quickly at the place his companion 
indicated, and, with one quick exclamation, rushed 
in and brought out a faded sunbonnet. “ That’s 
mother’s ! That’s mother’s ! ” he cried. “ She had 
it on the very morning we left home. She always 
wore it when she went out-doors. But, oh, Jere- 
miah ! she’s dead. I know she’s dead. Whoever 


94 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


burned the house took her, and probably threw that 
away when they started to leave.” 

“ Naw, that’s not it, my boy,” said Jeremiah, striv- 
ing to console the sobbing lad. “ Naw, not a bit of 
it. She was runnin’, and lost it off in the bushes. 
Mebbe she was cornin’ home and saw somebody 
around the house, and she was in such a hurry she 
never stopped to pick it up when she lost it off her 
head. Come on, we’ll take a peep at the bushes 
and mebbe they’ll tell us somethin’ we don’t know.” 

For a half-hour they searched in the bushes, but 
not a trace of the missing woman could they find. 
Not a twig was broken or out of place, nor could 
they discover anything to show that any one had 
passed that way. 

“We’ll go on down to the sheep-pen,” said Jere- 
miah at last, “ and see what we can find there; ” and 
without a further word being spoken the two men 
started on again and soon came to the little clearing 
on the border of which stood the sheep-pen. 

It was unoccupied now, and the open door stood 
just as the Indians had left it when they led out the 
sheep. There were dark spots still on the ground 
that marked the places where the slaughter had 
occurred, but everything else appeared to be just as 
Jairus had known it before that fatal morning. 

“We’ll look around here a bit,” said Jeremiah 
consolingly. “ Perhaps we’ll strike a trail, or some- 
thin’ what’ll surprise us.” 

The surprise came sooner than he expected ; for 


JEREMIAH INVESTIGATES. 


95 


the words were hardly spoken before there was the 
sharp, quick report of a rifle, and the bullet struck 
one of the logs of the sheep-pen near where Jeremiah 
was standing. 

“ Here, come in here,” said Jairus quickly, and the 
two men rushed into the pen and hastily drew the 
rude door after them. 

Then peering out between the chinks in the logs, 
Jairus saw a little cloud of smoke high up in the 
beech-tree, and he knew at once that the platform 
the three boys had made there was occupied again. 


CHAPTER IX. 


THE RETURN OF DAVID JONES. 

It is time for us to return and follow the fortunes 
of Samuel, whom we left in the camp of Burgoyne’s 
army near the falls of the Bouquet, at the time 
when his brother and David Jones, accompanied by 
Wyandot Panther, had started to cross Lake Cham- 
plain on their errand for the general. 

For a time the young prisoner — for he looked 
upon himself in that light, although he was sup- 
posedly among the militia or “ irregulars ” who were 
gathering constantly and in great numbers at the 
British camp — wandered about the place and 
looked with eager interest at what was going on 
about him. 

There was an air of confidence displayed by all, 
and which Samuel feared was but too well grounded. 
The complete equipments, the abundance of sup- 
plies and provisions, the presence of Indians in 
their war-paint, the eagerness of the men to be led 
forward, all combined to render Samuel sorfiewhat 
downcast, troubled as he was by the absence of his 
brother, and by his increasing anxiety for his 
mother. 


96 


THE RETURN OF DAVID JONES. 97 

He knew that comparative liberty was his, so 
long as he remained within the lines. No one 
accosted him and he was free to come and go as he 
chose ; but when he thought of his distant home 
and the sorrow of his mother, and how she must be 
suffering in her fears and anxieties by this time, he 
became almost desperate and there were wild im- 
pulses in his mind to rush past the line of guards 
and strive to make his way home again. Calmer 
thoughts prevailed, however, as he came to realize 
the hopelessness of trying to escape from the camp 
by any open means. 

None the less was he determined to leave when 
the opportunity for doing so should present itself, 
but he at last decided to await the return of his 
brother, and perhaps between them they might be 
able to devise some scheme which might aid them. 

He had not seen Arthur anywhere in the camp 
that morning. He thought little of that at the time, 
however, but when the noontime came and still 
Arthur did not appear, he began to be puzzled by 
his continued absence. Not that he cared to see 
him on his own account, for his anger at his cousin 
had steadily increased, as he thought how all the 
troubles that had come upon himself and his brother 
and mother were to be traced directly to his cow- 
ardly acts. 

He found no one among the soldiers or irregu- 
lars whom he recognized, and, left to himself, he 
tried to pass the time as best he could until his 


98 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


brother should return. David had assured him 
that they would both be back long before sunset, 
and he knew he could attempt nothing before that 
time. 

The long day passed slowly and as the night 
drew near, neither Arthur nor Jairus put in appear- 
ance. Here and there small fires were kindled in 
the camp, the soldiers evidently, under the strong- 
confidence of the leaders in their own success, hav- 
ing been given a freedom which under ordinary 
circumstances would have been denied them. After 
he had had his own supper, Samuel wandered again 
through the camp, watching with curious eyes the 
contentment and confidence of the red-coated men. 
Songs could be heard as they were sung by little 
groups of soldiers, who lay stretched upon the 
ground in the cool of the evening. 

One of these, which was new to Samuel, he 
thought must have become very popular ; for he 
heard it in no less than four different places, and 
the enthusiasm with which it was voiced clearly 
showed the confidence of the singers : — 

Ye Yankees who, mole-like, still throw up the earth, 

And like them, to your follies are blind from your birth ; 
Attempt not to hold British troops at defiance, 

True Britons, with whom you pretend an alliance. 

Mistake not ; such blood ne’er runs in your veins, 

Tis no more than the dregs, the lees, or the drains : 

Ye affect to talk big of your hourly attacks ; 

Come on ! and I’ll warrant we’ll soon see your backs. 


THE RETURN OF DAVID JONES. 


99 


Such threats of bravadoes serve only to warm 
The true British hearts, you ne’er can alarm ; 

The Lion, once roused, will strike such a terror, 

Shall show you, poor fools, your presumption and error. 

And the time will soon come when your whole rebel race 
Will be drove (driven) from the lands, nor dare show your face : 
Here’s a health to great George, may he fully determine 
To root from the earth all such insolent vermin. 

Shouts of applause greeted the song, and Samuel, 
who was standing back within the shadows, remained 
a little longer as he saw one of the soldiers pushed 
forward by his companions, and after an apparent 
confusion of a moment, in response to their repeated 
calls, begin to sing alone : — 

When Congress sent great Washington, 

All clothed in power and breeches, 

To meet old Britain’s warlike sons, 

And make some rebel speeches ; 

’Twas then he took his gloomy way 
Astride his dapple donkeys, 

And travelled well both night and day 
Until he reached the Yankees. 

Away from camp, ’bout three miles off 
From Lily he dismounted ; 

His sergeant brushed his sunburnt wig 
While he the specie counted. 

All prinked up in full bag-wig ; 

The shaking notwithstanding, 

In leather tights, oh, glorious sight ! 

He reached the Yankee landing. 


100 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Full many a child went into camp, 

All dressed in homespun kersey, 

To see the greatest rebel scamp 
That ever crossed o’er Jersey. 

The rebel clowns, oh, what a sight ! 

Too awkward was their figure ; 

’Twas yonder stood a pious wight, 

And here and there a nigger. 

Upon a stump he placed (himself), 

Great Washington did he, 

And through the nose of Lawyer Close 
Proclaimed great Liberty. 

The patriot brave, the patriot fair, 

From fervor had grown thinner, 

So off they marched with patriot zeal 
And took a patriot dinner. 

Renewed laughter and applause greeted the 
efforts of the singer, and there were loud calls for 
another song; but Samuel, discouraged by the con- 
fidence and boldness he saw all about him, and 
feeling more homesick and forlorn than ever before 
in his short life, soon left the men and sought the 
seclusion of his own tent to await the coming of his 
brother. 

His feeling of disgust at many of the sights he 
had seen in the camp had not left him, and with all 
his soul he longed to leave it all behind him and be 
once more in the quiet of their little clearing where 
they had troubled none, and none, until the preced- 
ing day, had ever troubled them. 


THE RETURN OF DAVID JONES. 


IOI 


He could do nothing before Jairus returned, and 
he waited patiently for his coming. He wondered 
where he was and whether any accident had befallen 
him. As the minutes dragged on and the silence 
• was broken only by the noises of the surrounding 
camp, he began to feel drowsy, and soon his head 
was nodding and the troubled boy became uncon- 
scious. 

He did not know how much time had elapsed, 
when he was aroused by the presence of some one 
in the tent. Darkness was all about him, and 
silence rested over the camp. 

His. first thought was of his brother, and in a low 
voice he called, “ Jairus ! Jairus ! Is that you ? ” 

“ No, it’s not Jairus.” 

“ Oh, it’s you, David, is it ? I didn’t recognize 
your voice at first. Where’s Jairus?” 

“ At the bottom of Lake Champlain, I hope with 
all my heart. It’s where he deserves to be, anyway, 
whether he is or not.” 

“ Why, what’s the trouble? What’s happened to 
Jairus? Where is he?” Samuel was all awake 
now and was pouring forth his questions excitedly. 

“ I don’t know where he is, but I know what he 
is. He’s a traitor. I never thought he was a low- 
lived Whig, but if you must have it, why I’ll tell 
you. I left him and the Panther in the canoe and 
told them to paddle down the shore and meet me, 
for I had to go a little farther. Well, what should 
that young reprobate do, but get a drop on the 


102 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Panther and take the canoe away from him. They 
had quite a tussle, and I suppose Jairus thinks he 
left the Panther for dead. He hit him over the 
head with the paddle and the redskin sank under 
the water. He was just fooling the boy, though ; 
for, in spite of the hole Jairus made in his head, he 
knew just what he was doing, and he only waited 
a bit before he came to the surface again, and saw 
the young man making off as if all of the Indians 
in General Burgoyne’s army were after him. And 
they are after him, too, and he’ll find it out before 
long. The Panther’s got his blood up and he won’t 
rest until he’s paid off Master Jairus Goodwin, and 
with interest.” 

Samuel was listening eagerly, but he could not 
see his companion’s face. The tones of his voice, 
however, showed that in spite of his apparent rage, 
David was not as angry as one who did not know 
him might suppose. 

There was no man in Burgoyne’s army of a 
kinder heart, and while he was devoted to the cause 
of the king, he had little of the intense bitterness 
that many of the men on either side displayed in 
those troublous times. 

Aware of this, Samuel was, perhaps, not so keenly 
on his guard as he might have been, had he not 
known something of the character of David Jones. 

“ Then Jairus has got away, has he? ” said Samuel. 
“ Why didn’t he take me, too ? ” 

“ Oh, he left you here for me, and here you’ll stay 


THE RETURN OF DAVID JONES. 103 

too, or my names not David Jones. I’m going to 
keep an eye on you myself, and as I’ve just had 
the promise of being made a lieutenant, I think I 
can watch you a little. Now I’m sorry for Jairus. 
Yes, I’m downright sorry. He’s made a big mis- 
take. This war will all be over in a few weeks, and 
when he goes back home, if he’s ever lucky enough 
to get there, he’ll find the king looks after his own. 
But that isn’t the worst of it ! ” 

“ What’s worse ? ” said Samuel quietly. He had 
hardly realized what David was saying, he had been 
so elated over the escape of his brother. He was 
trying to conjecture what his course would be. 

“ The Panther’s worse. He’s after Jairus, let me 
tell you, and it’ll go hard with him if he ever catches 
him. You’ll have to walk a chalk-line here, or 
they’ll think you’ve Whig blood in your veins, too. 
You’ll have to be careful now, if you ever are.” 

Samuel made no reply. He realized that David 
was speaking truly, and his own outlook was not 
very promising. However, he had all of a younger 
brother’s confidence in an older one, and felt that 
somehow Jairus would be able to help him. 

Meanwhile, he quickly realized that he must be 
very careful not to increase suspicion against him- 
self, and simply wait for his time to come, too. 
That it would come, he had not the slightest doubt. 
It was well for him that he had all of a boy’s hope- 
fulness and could not see the experiences that lay 
within the next few weeks. 


104 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ Did you get many of the irregulars ? ” he in- 
quired, after a silence of a moment. 

“ We did that. The woods are just full of them. 
I found out a good deal about the state of things at 
Ty, too. The Yankees are in bad shape. Gates 
has got the sulks. St. Clair never had much of 
any brains, and Schuyler’s too tender-hearted to do 
much damage anywhere. I shouldn’t be surprised 
if the whole thing was over in less than a month. 
Just as soon as St. Leger and Sir Henry join us, 
the time for the doxology has come. But it’s been 
a pretty good day for me, even if Jairus did play 
the coward and step out.” 

“ Not very much of a coward, I should think, 
from your story of his struggle with the Panther.” 

“ Not that kind of a coward. Oh, Jairus is ready 
enough to stand up and fight, but I mean his pull- 
ing out the way he did. Still, I’m going to be a 
lieutenant and I’ll manage to bear up under it, I 
guess. Just as soon as we’re on the march again, 
I’m to have the place.” 

“ I’m glad for you, Lieutenant Jones,” said Samuel. 
No one could fail to like the warm-hearted young 
man, who was always ready to do a favor for an- 
other, and never appeared to think of himself. 

“ That’s good of you, Sam,” replied David. 
“You’re not the only one that’ll be glad, though. 
Every one of my five brothers is in the army, and 
Jonathan’s going to be a captain. They’re as proud 
of me as if — as if I was their own brother. But 


THE RETURN OF DAVID JONES. 105 

Jane’ll be prouder than any. You never saw Jane, 
did you ? ” 

“No, I never saw Jane.” 

“ Well, she’s got the blackest hair, and the bright- 
est eye, and the straightest figure you ever saw. 
Yes, Jane’ll be proud of me and I hope she’ll never 
have more cause to feel ashamed of me than she 
has to-night. But I’m sorry for Jairus, I am that, 
Samuel. I’m awfully sorry. If he ever lives to get 
back into camp, he’ll be in trouble, let me tell you ! ” 

“ ‘ If he ever lives.’ What do you mean ? ” 

“Why, I told you the Panther was after him. 
I’m sorry, and I tried to head him off, but it was no 
good. Well, after we came back to-night the first 
fellow we met was your cousin there, Arthur Good- 
win. He walked along with us and I told him about 
Jairus’s getting away. He didn’t say much then, but 
he’s hatched up a scheme, and he and the Panther 
and one or two others have gone back to your 
house, and they’re going to wait for him there. 
Arthur said Jairus would put straight for that place 
to look after his mother, and they’d be sure to get 
him, and I guess he’s more’n half right, too. I’m 
sorry for Jairus. I am, indeed.” 

“ What ? What’s that you say ? ” said Samuel 
excitedly. “ Arthur and the Panther have gone 
back to our house ? ” 

“ That’s what I said, and I’m sorry for Jairus. 
What did he want to do such a thing for? It 
passes my understanding, I must confess.” 


io 6 


TIVO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ When did they go ? ” 

“ About an hour ago.” 

The conversation ceased. Samuel perceived in 
a few minutes that his companion was asleep, but 
the hours passed and no sleep came to him. He 
was thinking of a little log house, in a clearing 
only a few miles distant, and of possible tragedies 
that would be, or might even now have been, enacted 
there ; and the longer he thought, the more desper- 
ate and troubled he became. 


CHAPTER X. 


BURGOYNE APPROACHES TICONDEROGA. 

It was long after midnight before Samuel fell 
into a troubled sleep, and the sun had not appeared 
when he awoke. He looked at the sleeping lieuten- 
ant, but soon deciding to leave him to his slumber, 
silently left the tent and wandered about the camp 
searching for any one who might be able to give 
him some information concerning the expedition to 
his home. 

No one was stirring, however, and the presence 
of the guards clearly showed him that he must not 
wander beyond the confines of the camp. For two 
hours the troubled boy kept up his vigil, vainly 
hoping that Arthur, or the Panther, or some one 
might be seen who could give him some information 
about his brother. Every time any one appeared 
near the borders of the camp, Samuel eagerly 
sought him, half hoping and yet half fearing that 
he might be a messenger, or some one of the 
returning party. 

He knew that Jairus would not be taken easily 
unless he was surprised and overpowered suddenly, 


io8 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


but the great undefined fear in his heart was that he 
might not be brought back to the camp. He shud- 
dered as he thought of two scalps he might at any 
moment discover dangling from the belts of some 
painted savages. 

It was true, as Samuel well knew, that General 
Burgoyne had given strict orders that all prisoners 
were to be brought alive into the camp, and that the 
reward for a captive was far greater than for a scalp ; 
but he thought he was more familiar with the char- 
acter of the Indians than was the British general, 
and, besides, he knew enough of the disposition of 
his brother to believe that there might such a provo- 
cation be given to those, who had gone to surprise 
him, that a tomahawk or a bullet would be considered 
the only means of settling the trouble. And there 
was his mother, too, and the thought of her help- 
lessness only served to increase the fears of the 
anxious boy. 

At last, when all the soldiers had appeared and 
breakfast had been eaten, Samuel returned to the 
tent for something to eat himself and to confer 
again with Lieutenant David, who, in spite of his 
intense loyalty to the king, he knew was not un- 
friendly to Jairus. 

But David had gone when Samuel entered the 
tent, and after going out again he remained watch- 
ing through the hours of the day for some one to 
come with the information he longed to receive. 

The day passed, however, and neither the Indians 


BURGOYNE APPROACHES TICONDEROGA. 109 

nor Arthur made their appearance in the camp. 
Nor had he seen David when the shadows of even- 
ing again fell over the forest. 

After he had had his supper, however, David 
appeared and Samuel hailed him eagerly. “ Have 
you heard anything of Arthur or the Panther ? ” 

“ Not a word,” replied David ; “ but I don’t mind 
telling you I hardly think you will hear right away.” 

“ Why not ? ” 

“ Well, the case’s about like this. Maybe you’ve 
heard me speak of Jenny?” David’s face flushed 
slightly as he spoke, and he looked curiously at his 
companion. 

“Well, yes; I think I have heard you mention 
her once or twice,” replied Samuel, smiling a little 
in spite of the anxiety in his own heart. “ What’s 
she got to do with it ? ” 

“It’s this way,” said David. “Jenny M’Crea 
hasn’t lived up here forever. Her father used to be 
a Presbyterian minister down near Paulus Hook, 
New Jersey. Over in New York Mrs. M’Neil 
lived, and she was a great friend of Jenny’s. Her 
name wasn’t M’Neil first, you know, for her first 
husband’s name was Campbell, but he was drowned 
and afterwards she married M’Neil. He, too, was 
drowned, and then Mrs. M’Neil moved up near 
Fort Edward into a place he had owned there. 
Mr. M’Crea died, too, soon afterwards and then 
Jenny came up here to live with her brother, who 
had a place not very far from Mrs. M’ Neil’s.” 


1 10 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ That’s how you came to know her, is it ? ” said 
Samuel. 

“ Yes, that was the way of it,” replied David, who 
evidently was talking on his favorite topic. “You 
see, Jenny spent lots of her time with her friend, 
Mrs. M’Neil, and as she lived right near us it didn’t 
take me long to become acquainted with her. There 
were six of us boys, and to tell you the truth, I was 
a little afraid at first that she’d take a fancy to one 
of the others, especially to my brother Jonathan. 
He’s the one that’s got a captain’s commission, you 
know, and he’s under General Fraser, just as you 
and I are. Well, the bother of it was that Jenny’s 
brother was a hot Whig. I don’t think Jenny feels so 
herself, for maybe she’s listened a bit to what I’ve had 
to say to her,” and again David laughed and blushed. 
“ Well, her brother’s been sending for her to come 
down to Albany, where he thought she’d be safer, 
you know; but, bless you, Jenny didn’t go!” 

“What’s all that got to do with my brother 
Jairus? I don’t see any connection,” said Samuel. 

“Why, it’s this way. We wanted to get Jairus 
back into the ranks, and I’m not without hope that 
he’ll be given another chance, and that he’ll take it. 
Of course he’ll take it ! Well, when the party 
started out to get him, I fixed it so that the Panther 
and some of the others should go on and get Jenny 
and bring her back to the camp. I don’t mind tell- 
ing you that she’s just sent me word that her 
brother had given his last orders to join him, and 


BURGOYNE APPROACHES TICONDEROGA. Ill 

that if she didn’t join me she’d have to go down the 
river in a bateau.” 

“You don’t mean to say you’d take her in the 
army, do you ? ” 

“ I don’t like to, and yet there are a good many 
women here and I guess it’s safer than it would be 
anywhere around Fort Edward, or even in Albany ; 
for we’ll be there before you know it, and then 
there’ll be trouble. You see, there’s the Baroness 
de Riedesel and Mrs. General Fraser, and — ” 

“ Yes, I know. Then your plan was to have only 
a part of the men stop for Jairus, and the others go 
on to Fort Edward and get your sweetheart.” 

“ Yes, that’s about it. Jairus will be sure to go 
back home after his mother, and I don’t think 
there’ll be any trouble about getting him. And 
then he can do something for your mother — I 
don’t know just what, but it’ll be fixed up all right 
some way, I know — and he’ll come with them to 
the camp, and the others can go on and do my 
errand for me. You see, Mrs. M’Neil’s a cousin 
of General Fraser, and she may come into camp, too. 
If she does, why it’ll be all the better for Jenny.” 

S'amuel said nothing more, and as it was now 
late they both turned in for the night; but try as 
he would, sleep would not come to the lad. The 
picture of the little log cabin would somehow con- 
tinually rise before him, and more than once he 
almost fancied he could hear the startled call of 
Jairus as the Indians rushed upon him. As for 


I 12 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Arthur, he had no confidence in him, and somehow 
he never thought of Jairus in any other light than 
that of a prisoner or of a victim of the treacherous 
Indians. He knew that the Panther, in spite of 
Davids words, would never forgive Jairus for the 
plight in which he had left him. 

On the following day, there was a stir among the 
soldiers which plainly indicated that a forward 
movement was about to be made. Samuel waited 
eagerly for some word from the party which had 
gone to his home, but no word came, and the army 
soon started. 

It was with a heavy heart that Samuel joined 
them. No one had come, and not a word had been 
received from Arthur or the Panther. Somehow 
he felt relieved after David’s story of the further 
advance they were to make, but he knew his mother 
could not go, and certainly Jairus would not leave 
her unless he was compelled to. No, there was no 
solution for the difficult problem, and no further light 
was received before the army halted once more. 

The days passed, and still no word came. Even 
David was becoming alarmed, and many were the 
conversations he held with Samuel, each vainly 
striving to console the other. 

Meanwhile the forces of Burgoyne were steadily 
increased by the arrival of fresh bands of irregulars 
who had come in from the surrounding regions, 
and of painted Indians, who for the present were 
keen allies of the British general, 


BURGOYNE APPROACHES T1C0NDER0GA. 


13 


Indeed, as Samuel’s hopes decreased those of the 
men about him seemed to rise. The lowest camp- 
followers seemed to think there could be only one 
outcome to the expedition. Burgoyne himself 
was bold and sure, his division generals shared in 
his confidence, and the contagion of their feelings 
quickly spread throughout the army. 

The old mountains and the clear waters of the 
lake had never seen a sight like that when at last 
the army embarked. In advance moved the light 
birch-bark canoes of the Indians, the painted faces 
and feathers of the warriors presenting a pictur- 
esque and weird appearance. Behind them moved 
the barges in which were General Fraser’s men, 
and in the midst of them was Samuel Goodwin. 
They were drawn out in one long line and flanked 
with gunboats on each side. 

Next came the great frigates, the Royal George 
and the Invincible , but they were not alone, for 
other armed and well-equipped vessels aided in 
making up the fleet. Protected by this- strong 
escort, came the main body and the generals, while 
the hangers-on and the camp-followers brought up 
the rear of the procession ; and better far would it 
have been for the good name of those who began 
the campaign if these same followers had remained 
so far in the rear that they never would have caught 
up with the main body. 

Exhilaration and confidence were manifest on 
every side. The beautiful day in June, the moun- 


14 


TWO YOUNG PA T RIOTS. 


tains forming the framework of the picture in the 
distance, the clear, sparkling waters of the lake, the 
strength of the army and the weakness of the foes 
against whom they were moving, all combined to 
render the men expectant and confident. 

The irregulars had been greatly increased in num- 
bers. This in part had been caused by the fears of 
the scattered people, many of whom were loyal to 
the colonies, while others were willing now to bow 
before the advancing general and his great army. 
In part, however, the proclamation, which General 
Burgoyne had caused to be drawn up and scattered 
among the people of Vermont, had brought the new 
men into the camp. 

The heading of this proclamation was as follows: 

“ By John Burgoyne , Esq., Lieutenant- General 
of His Majesty's army in America , Colonel of the 
Queen s regiment of light dragoons , Governor of Fort 
William , in North Britain , one of the Representa- 
tives of the Commons of Great Britain in Parlia- 
ment , and commanding an army a?id fleet on an 
expedition from Canada',' etc . 

This pompous heading was followed by an 
equally pompous proclamation, in which “John 
Burgoyne, Esq.,” set forth the strength of his armies 
and fleets, and the power, justice, and mercy of the 
king. He then extolled his own purposes, bitterly 
condemned the “ arbitrary imprisonment, confisca- 
tion of property, persecution and torture, unprece- 
dented in the inquisitions of the Romish church, 


BURGOYNE APPROACHES TICONDEROGA. 1 1 5 

and the palpable enormities” of which the “rebels” 
had been guilty. He promised to hold forth pro- 
tection and security. The proclamation closed 
with these words: — 

“ In consciousness of Christianity , my royal mas- 
ter s clemency , and the honor of soldiership , I have 
dwelt upon this invitation and wish for more per- 
suasive terms to give it impression . And let not 
people be led to disregard it , by considering their dis- 
tance from the immediate situation of my camp . / 

have but to give stretch to the Indian forces under 
my direction , and they amount to thousands, to over- 
take the hardened enemies of Great Britain and 
America. I consider them the same wherever they 
may lurk. 

“ If, notwithstanding their endeavors and sincere 
inclinations to effect them, the frenzy of hostility 
should remain, I trust I shall stand acquitted in 
the eyes of God and man in denouncing and execut- 
ing the vengeance of the State against the wilful out- 
casts. The messengers of justice, of wrath, await 
them in the field, and devastation, famine, and every 
concomitant horror that a reluctant but mdispensa- 
ble prosecution of military duty must occasion, will 
bar the way to their return .” 

The proclamation had its effect on certain of the 
weaker ones in the region, and also on those who 
either were Tories at heart or were alarmed by the 
approach of the great army. 

The American watch-boats quickly reported Bur- 


1 1 6 TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 

goyne’s approach, and preparations for resisting the 
invaders were rapidly made. 

On June 29th, 1777, the British army was near 
Ticonderoga. Burgoyne, who was a good speaker, 
made a very stirring appeal to his soldiers and gave 
out as the watchword : “ This army must not re- 
treat? 

On the following day, Fraser’s corps landed in 
full view of the fortress and Samuel Goodwin, heart- 
sick and disheartened, was among them. 


CHAPTER XI. 

BESIEGED. 

Jairus Goodwin and his companion, when they 
had securely fastened the door of the sheep-pen, 
and had seen the little cloud of smoke hovering 
near the platform in the beech-tree, were thoroughly 
alarmed. 

It was true they had found a shelter, which for 
the moment was safe, but only a few moments had 
passed before they realized that they were in a situ- 
ation of no little peril, and from which the possibil- 
ity of an escape was not very promising. 

Only one gun had been heard, but that fact 
might mean much or little according to circum- 
stances. For all that they knew, they might be 
surrounded by enemies, and at. the thought Jairus 
looked again at the fastenings of the rude door, 
which they had closed in great haste when they 
entered. He peered out again between the chinks, 
but there was nothing to be seen to indicate the 
presence of an enemy. The smoke had disap- 
peared, the little squirrels had resumed their chat- 
tering, as they darted about among the trees, and 
I1 7 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


the perfect quiet of a summer day apparently rested 
over all. 

They were penned up as prisoners, however ; of 
that fact there could be no doubt. The presence 
of Jeremiah, the whistling of the bullet as it had 
passed so near them, the recollection of the one 
sharp report, all proved the fact, and when a few 
minutes had passed, Jairus, who was the first to 
break the silence, turned to his companion and 
whispered : — 

“ What do you make of it, Jeremiah ? What do 
you think ? ” 

“ I’m a doin’ my thinkin’ jest neow,” replied Jere- 
miah slowly. “ I can’t say as I see very much. I 
’most wish I could see somethin’. It would help, 
anyway.” 

“ Do you think there are many out there in the 
beech-tree ? ” 

“ Naw, not in that tree; but I wouldn’t promise 
that some of the other trees didn’t have any inhabi- 
tants. I’m rather expectin’ we shall see or hear 
somethin’ that’ll be an eye-opener, pretty soon. I 
can’t tell yet whether it’s Indians or white men.” 

“ I rather think there’s one white man in the 
crowd, anyway,” replied Jairus, as he went on to 
relate the story of the building of the platform, 
and the knowledge which Arthur must have of it. 

“ That looks likely,” replied Jeremiah at last. 
“ It’s jest as like as not that young cousin o’ yers 
might have happened to think ye’d come back 


BESIEGED. 


I 19 

here to see yer ma, and he thought mebbe ye 
could be caught; for o’ course he knows by this time 
that ye didn’t go back to Burgoyne’s camp. Trust 
him for that.” 

“ He wouldn’t have come alone, if he’s out there,” 
replied Jairus emphatically. “ I know him too well 
for that. No, sir, if Arthur Goodwin’s out there, 
he’s got plenty of company, you may rest your soul 
on that fact.” 

“ I am a restin’ it,” said Jeremiah soberly; “but 
the trouble is, I don’t want to rest it. We’ll keep 
our mouths shut and our eyes open for a spell, and 
somethin’ll happen.” 

Jairus followed the implied suggestion of his com- 
panion, and said nothing more. Both he and Jere- 
miah now began to keep a careful watch upon the 
forest. 

The platform itself could not be seen from the 
sheep-pen, but it was possible to see some little dis- 
tance on every side into the forest, which had been 
largely cleared of underbrush. The fact that an 
open space lay between them and the trees was a 
source of comfort, for no attack could be made upon 
them without the attacking party first exposing itself. 

An hour now passed, and not a word was spoken. 
Jeremiah had taken a seat on the ground where he 
could peer out between the logs and see all that 
was occurring in front of the pen. He sat there 
almost as motionless as a statue, and seldom re- 
moved his eyes from the scene before him. 


120 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Jairus had occasionally changed his position and 
had gone to various parts of the sheep-pen and 
peered out into the surrounding forest ; but nothing 
could be seen to indicate the presence of enemies. 
He wished Jeremiah would speak to him, for the 
silence and suspense were becoming almost unbear- 
able. It seemed to him that the besiegers must 
have departed. Indeed, the whole experience was 
almost like a dream to him now, save when he 
thought of his mother and of the pile of ashes which 
marked the spot where his home had been. 

At last he could bear it no longer. Jeremiah 
must speak to him, if it was nothing more than a 
word to show that he was not unmindful of his pres- 
ence. 

“Jeremiah,” whispered Jairus, “Jeremiah, don’t 
you think it’ll do to get out of here now ? ” 

Jeremiah made no reply except to lift his hand in 
warning and then point to the forest. 

Jairus dropped on his knees and, following the 
directions, again looked at the place which his 
companion had been watching. 

At first he could see nothing unusual, but sud- 
denly he discovered an Indian crouching low, and 
creeping cautiously along near the ground. What 
was he trying to do ? And why was he so near the 
borders of the forest ? 

The question was not solved, however; for his 
attention was drawn to Jeremiah, who had slowly 
changed his position and taking his gun was. hold- 



SUDDENLY HE DISCOVERED AN INDIAN QUICKLY DARTING FROM TREE TO TREE 














































































BESIEGED. 


1 2 1 


ing its muzzle near to the chinks and watching the 
movements of the savage. 

“ There’s hardly space for a bullet to creep 
through,” whispered Jeremiah, “ but I’m goin’ to 
try the effect of a shot. It may teach ’em a bit of 
a lesson. We’re in a trap, but they haven’t got the 
game yet. There now. Look out ! ” 

Jairus “ looked out ” just as the report of the gun 
sounded, which almost deafened him. 

“ Missed him ! Gum ! but that was a close call. 
I’d a hit him if there’d been a little more space 
atween these logs!” muttered Jeremiah. 

Jairus was too busy watching the Indian to heed 
his companion’s words. The bullet had struck the 
back of the tree from behind which the savage had 
just emerged, and sent the splinters in every direc- 
tion. The Indian, startled for a moment, had dodged 
quickly back into the shelter, and a yell which 
seemed to Jairus to come from a hundred men 
greeted the report of the gun. 

“ I thought I’d find out how many of ye there 
was,” muttered Jeremiah. “ I know ye now. Yer 
name’s legion, like them painted fellows that got 
into a lot of pigs once, in the Bible. Hold on there ! 
What ye up to neow? Gum! Give me yer gun 
quick, Jairus ! ” 

Jeremiah’s exclamation had been called forth by 
the antics of the Indian at whom he had fired. For 
a moment he had appeared to hesitate, but only for 
a moment, as he darted from behind the tree which 


122 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


stood a little apart from the others to return to his 
companions. Evidently he thought he would have 
time to do this before another gun in the sheep-pen 
could be discharged. 

He had taken but a few steps, however, when he 
was thrown violently to the ground. Uttering a 
yell which caused even Jeremiah to lower his gun 
and gaze at him in surprise, he partially arose and 
then begaj^ to struggle desperately at something 
which plainly was holding him by the leg. 

“ Gum ! ” was all that Jeremiah could say at first. 
“ Gum ! He’s got it neow, but what it is he’s got is 
more’n I can say. ’Pears like as if somethin’, though, 
had got him.” 

“ I know what’s got him ! It’s that wolf-trap we 
boys set for the panther. He’s stepped straight 
into it. I hadn’t thought of it once since we left it,” 
said Jairus quickly. 

“ Let him work at it, then ! Let him work at it ! ” 
said Jeremiah grimly. “ I thought at first I’d pick 
him off same as I do a turkey that’s held by a string 
at a shootin’-match, but I’ll let him work at it alone. 
Mebbe he’ll serve as a decoy to call some o’ his 
heathing brethring to his aid. Shut up, can’t ye ? 
What’s the good o’ talkin’ so loud! Ye’ll disturb 
some o’ the nabors, ye painted heathing ! ” 

These last remarks of Jeremiah’s were directed 
at the Indian, who was struggling desperately to 
open the jaws of the trap ; but struggle and strive 
as he would, the strong trap still held him. He 


BESIEGED. 


123 


called to his companions, and screamed in his pain. 
He hobbled to the end of the chain and tried to 
unfasten that, but his efforts were all without avail. 

Still no one of his companions came to his aid, 
not caring to expose themselves in the open space 
to a shot from the sheep-pen. For several minutes 
the Indian struggled desperately to free himself, 
but at last concluding that no help would come to 
him, he cast himself upon the ground and lay still. 

The pain caused by the trap was more easily 
borne than that which a bullet from a gun in the 
sheep-pen might cause, and heroically the Indian 
resigned himself to his fate. 

“That’s a fearful trap,” said Jairus. “It took 
two of us to set it, and I don’t wonder he can’t get 
out of it alone. I shouldn’t be surprised if his leg 
was broken, too.” 

“ Like enough. But I tell ye what, Jairus, we’re 
in a trap, too. That ere sun isn’t goin’ to stay up 
there in the sky fer us or anybody else, and when 
it’s gone, I tell ye, we’ll ’most envy that fellow out 
there in that wolf-trap.” 

“ Why ! what do you mean ? ” said Jairus quickly. 

“ Jest what I say. This pen’ll be a trap, a death- 
trap, too, afore mornin’, fer both of us. They’ll 
creep up and set fire to it, and then where’ll we 
be ? ” 

“ You don’t think they’ll do that, do you ? Maybe 
Arthur’s there, and bad as he is, he wouldn’t go in 
for burning us alive.” 


24 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ Mighty little Arthur’ll have to do with it,” replied 
Jeremiah. “ I know them fellows better’n you, nor 
Arthur either. We’ve got to get out o’ this, that’s 
all there is to it.” 

“ But how shall we get out ? We can’t open the 
door, can we ? ” 

“ Naw — though I guess I will, jest to see what’ll 
take place. Kind o’ let ’em know we’re alive. 
Mebbe that’s jest what they’re a waitin’ for all this 
time.” 

Jeremiah carefully removed the braces and bars 
from the door, and then, taking his hat and placing 
it on the end of a stick, he took his position at one 
side, and motioned to Jairus to open the door a few 
inches. 

His companion, at once perceiving his object, 
took his stand behind the heavy door, and began 
to open it. As it swung slowly back, Jeremiah 
carefully thrust forward the hat on the end of the 
stick. 

At the very first of its appearance there was a 
yell, and the discharge of a half-dozen guns. The 
bullets struck the heavy door, and knocked the hat 
from its position. 

“ Don’t ! Don’t look out ! ” said Jeremiah quickly, 
for his companion had started to peer out into the 
forest. “ They’re waitin’ for ye. Quick ! Bar the 
door again. Bar it, I say ! ” 

A band of Indians had appeared on the border 
as if they were about to make a rush upon the sheep- 


BESIEGED. 


125 


pen, but Jairus hastily swung the heavy door into 
its place, and the bars and braces were immediately 
adjusted. 

“ There, I jest wanted to draw ’em out, and I 
did,” said Jeremiah calmly. “ Here, they’ve done 
more’n I bargained for,” he quickly added, as, peer- 
ing out again between the chinks, he saw the Indians 
with the body of their helpless companion withdraw- 
ing into the forest. “ They’ve got that fellow, sure’s 
you live, Jairus. That was a mistake, but they’ll 
be on the lookout pretty sharp fer us, fer they’ll sus- 
pect we don’t mean to tarry but a night here. And 
we don’t, or we’ll think that poor redskin in the 
wolf-trap was in paradise alongside o’ either of 
us.” 

“ But what can we do ? I don’t see, for my part, 
that we can get out anywhere else, and they’ll be on 
the watch, too.” 

“ They’ll be more’n on the watch, my son. This 
ere air’s a little chilly in the night, and they’ll want 
to have a fire to warm themselves by. And they’ll 
have it, too. When it gets dark enough, some o’ 
them tormentors will creep up here, and this pen’ll 
somehow get afire, jest as yer house did, only this 
time there’ll be somebody inside, which there wasn’t 
in the other case, I’m a thinkin’.” 

“ I’ll do anything you say,” said Jairus soberly, 
“ but I don’t see anything we can do.” 

“ I’ll show ye. Neow it won’t do to try to go 
out by the door. They’ll watch that constant like. 


26 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Can’t we get out by the roof, or rip out a log on the 
back side o’ this trap ? ” 

“ There was one of the logs that didn’t fit in very 
well, but we chinked it up so it was safe enough,” 
replied Jairus. “ It’s on the back side, there,” and 
he pointed as he spoke to a place in. the rear 
wall. 

“That’s the thing. Neow all I want o’ ye, is to 
keep watch in front, and I’ll fix that ere log. Fire 
off yer gun once in a while, jest to let ’em know 
we’re alive, and watchin’ that side o’ the earth. 
Neow then ! ” 

Jeremiah drew a huge jack-knife from his pocket, 
and, leaving his companion, at once began his task. 
Jairus could not hear him, for he worked silently, 
and the lad soon was giving his entire attention to 
the duty assigned him. 

Not an Indian had appeared, but several times 
Jairus discharged his gun through the chinks in the 
wall, and the derisive shout which greeted him 
showed clearly that the besiegers had not departed. 

Meanwhile the sun sank lower and lower, and at 
last disappeared below the edge of the forest. The 
dusk would soon be here and then the darkness. 
Thoughts of his missing mother, of the burned 
home, and of his brother in the British camp 
crowded themselves into his mind. And above 
all was the desperate situation in which he and his 
companion were placed. 

“ I’ve fixed it. I’ve had to be mighty quiet about 


BESIEGED. 


127 


it, fer I didn’t know what might be a listenin’ to me. 
As soon as it’s dark, we’ll slip it out and start.” 

“ Maybe we won’t go far,” said Jairus gloomily. 

“ Don’t want to go far. Jest far enough’s about 
right. Neow don’t give up when the pinch comes. 
Y er too brave a lad to do that, I know ! ” 

“ No, I’m ready.” 

“ ’Tisn’t quite dark enough yet. I’ll sit down 
here beside ye and help keep watch.” 

As the darkness deepened, occasionally a gun 
was discharged, but no response was made now. 

“They’re jest a waitin’ fer bus’ness,” said Jere- 
miah ; but his companion made no response. He 
was trembling with excitement, and the fear of the 
venture they were about to make prevented him 
from speaking. 

The outlines of the forest became dim. There 
was a sighing now among the trees, for the wind 
was rising. For some time no response had come 
from the besiegers, and there was nothing to indi- 
cate the presence of danger. Jairus could not see 
the face of his companion now and knew of his 
presence only as he stretched forth his hand and 
touched him. 

It seemed to him that hours must have passed, 
but Jeremiah had not spoken a word nor changed 
his position. It was becoming almost unbearable. 
The darkness, the silence and suspense, the fear of 
that which they were about to attempt, all rested 
heavily on the waiting boy; and Jeremiah had not 


28 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


moved or spoken for hours as it seemed to 
him. 

At last Jeremiah whispered, “ The time’s come, 
my lad. Neow, be brave. Come on!” Together 
they sought the rear of the pen, then, halting a 
moment, Jeremiah whispered, “ I’ll take out the 
log and go ahead. Then you follow me.” 

Stooping low, he slowly and silently pulled at 
the log. Jairus could see rather than hear that it 
yielded. In a moment Jeremiah slipped through 
the opening, and with trembling heart Jairus pre- 
pared to follow him. 


CHAPTER XII. 

THE DIFFICULTIES ARE INCREASED. 

The darkness was so intense that when Jairus 
crept through the opening and found himself be- 
side his companion, he could not even see his face. 
He knew he was by his side, however; for Jeremiah 
laid his hand gently on the shoulder of the lad, and 
for several minutes they stood together and waited. 

Not a sound could be heard but the rustling of 
the leaves in the trees, that came close up to the 
rear of the sheep-pen. The besieging party had 
not been heard from since the darkness had come, 
but both of the men were too well versed in Indian 
ways to think for a moment that they had departed. 

The custom of the savages was to wait until 
it was almost morning, when the watchers would 
be worn out by their vigil, or less on their guard, 
before they made a rush, or began an open attack. 
In the present case, however, both Jeremiah and 
Jairus strongly suspected that the Indians were led 
by their white allies, and if that should be true, the 
whole method of attack might be modified, or radi- 
cally changed. 


129 


30 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


While they had not seen or heard of any of the 
besiegers except in the portion of the forest in front 
of the sheep-pen, for the only entrance was there, 
the rear of the place they were now leaving might 
have become the point of attack since the night had 
fallen, and in such an event their every movement 
might now be watched by their foes. 

The thought made both more cautious, but when 
several moments had passed and no sound, save 
that of the rustling leaves, had been heard, Jeremiah 
indicated his desire to push on, by a gentle pull at 
Jairus’s arm. The darkness was not so dense now, 
as their eyes in a measure had become accustomed 
to it, and the grim forms of the silent trees became 
more clearly defined. 

Without delaying to restore the log they had re- 
moved to its place, Jairus began to move silently 
and slowly into the forest ; for he knew that, as 
he was the more familiar with the region, upon 
him would devolve the duty of being the guide. 

Cautiously and slowly they moved on, keeping 
well together, and their hearts at times almost ceas- 
ing to beat in their excitement. 

Behind any of the great trees an Indian might be 
concealed. The eyes of an unseen enemy might 
be following their every movement. Jairus did not 
take a step that he did not fear a tomahawk or a 
bullet might meet him. Never before had he 
passed through such an experience. 

In spite of his fears, he held steadily to his way. 


THE DIFFICULTIES ARE INCREASED. 131 

Around behind the place where the old house had 
stood, they went ; for he feared to approach the open 
space, as he thought some one might be watching 
there. 

Their eyes had become more accustomed to the 
darkness now, and they had little difficulty in find- 
ing their way. From tree to tree they moved, work- 
ing under such a strain of fear and anxiety as neither 
ever had known before. 

It seemed to Jairus that hours must have passed 
since they left the sheep-pen. There were times 
when it all seemed unreal and he felt as if he had 
been dreaming, and was waiting for some one to 
rouse him out of his sleep. Still, they held to their 
way, working cautiously and slowly towards the shore 
of the lake, where they had left the little canoe, which 
Jairus had taken from the Panther at the time of his 
escape. 

At last they arrived at a spot from which they 
could look out into the open space where the log 
house had been, and Jairus stopped for a moment, 
and, taking his companion by the hand, gazed ear- 
nestly at the familiar spot. 

How changed it all was ! The ashes alone marked 
the ruins of the home, and appeared almost ghost- 
like in the night. Not a sound could be heard, 
however, and in a moment Jeremiah indicated by a 
gentle pressure of the hand that they must go on. 

With a sigh, which he could not entirely repress, 
Jairus resumed his efforts, and slowly they withdrew 


132 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


from the spot and again started towards the shore 
of the lake. 

There was a lump in his throat which he could 
not swallow. The vision of his mother rose before 
him just as she had stood in the doorway when the 
boys started forth on their search for the dead 
panther’s mate. And now his mother was gone, 
the home was burned, the sheep slaughtered, and 
Samuel was in the British camp. 

He felt as if he could not leave the spot without 
some word from his mother. Was she living or 
dead? Had she escaped from the house, and was 
she even now wandering somewhere in the forest? 

The mournful hooting of an owl, overhead, almost 
made Jairus turn back, it came to him so unexpect- 
edly. Was he trying to escape from his duty ? 
Ought he to remain and make a further search for 
the missing woman ? 

Perhaps his footsteps faltered, or he disclosed his 
feelings in some manner, for Jeremiah stopped and 
whispered: “We’ll keep on to the shore, my lad, 
and when we’re once there we’ll talk it over, and 
see what’s the very best thing to try. Keep on neow, 
though, or we’ll never be able to do anythin’ fer 
ye, or fer yer mother, either.” 

Jairus made no reply, but the determined manner 
in which he resumed his labors clearly showed that 
his hesitation was gone, and that all his powers 
would be concentrated upon the work immediately 
before them. 


THE DIFFICULTIES ARE INCREASED. 


33 


Both Jeremiah and Jairus were practised woods- 
men, and the forest had few secrets for them. 
Confidently they went on now, for no signs had 
been seen that their escape had been discovered. 
Indeed, the prevailing silence seemed to be deeper 
than before, and for several minutes they increased 
their speed, and at last stood on the summit of a 
little knoll from which, through the open spaces 
between the trees of the forest, they could catch 
little glimmerings of the lake, which was now not 
far distant. 

Here they halted for a breathing spell. Both 
were well satisfied that they were not being pur- 
sued, and the little birch-bark canoe lay not many 
yards away. 

“ Now, Jairus,” whispered Jeremiah, “ yer mother’s 
got away long afore this, or else she’s where ye can’t 
help her.” 

Jairus shuddered slightly as he replied, “ I’m 
afraid it’s so — I’m afraid it’s so. Still I think I’d 
better wait here a day or two, and let you go back 
to Ty. You’re needed there, and I’m needed here. 
The Indians will be gone in a day or two, and if 
Arthur Goodwin was with them, he’ll know what’s 
become of my mother.” 

“Yes, but what’ll ye do? How’ll ye find out 
from him ? ” 

“ I’ll go back into Burgoyne’s camp.” 

“And tell the Panther and David Jones ye’ve 
come back to take yer medicine like a good little 


134 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


man ? They’ll want to know where you’ve been, 
and you won’t need to tell ’em, either. You know 
what a good time Nathan Hale had, don’t you ? ” 

“Yes, the British hung him after the battle of 
Long Island.” 

“ And you want to go and do likewise, do you ? 
I’m surprised at you, I am, indeed.” 

“But what can I do, Jeremiah? You wouldn’t 
want me to run away and leave my mother here for 
these redcoats and redskins, would you ? Sam’s 
where he can’t be of any use to her, and if mother’s 
anywhere around here, I ought to help her out.” 

“ Yes, by placing yourself jest where Sam is ; that 
is, if you’re lucky enough to get past all these var- 
mints in the woods, which, as my humble opinion is, 
you’d never do.” 

“ What can I do, then ? ” persisted the troubled 
boy. “ I can’t go away with the possibility that 
she’s lost somewhere around here, and no one to 
help her.” 

“No more you can’t, my lad,” replied Jeremiah 
soberly. “ Neow jest let’s look at the facts a minit, 
jest as they be. First of all, your house is gone.” 

“ Yes, and my mother’s gone, too,” interrupted 
Jairus. 

“Jest hold on a bit, till we git all the facts, for 
facts is what we want. The house is gone, as I 
said. Neow heow did it go? By fire. Heow did 
the fire start ? Some one set it, most likely. Who’s 
most likely to set it ? Who’d know the most about 


THE DIFFICULTIES ARE INCREASED. 135 

your bein’ likely to come back to this ’ere place? 
Who’d be on the lookout for you? Tell me that, 
will you ? ” 

“ Probably Arthur Goodwin.” 

“ Right, my son, right. Neow Arthur Goodwin’s 
the son o’ his pa, which means a good deal. He’d 
burn your very heouse up, but he’s been a visitin’ 
here fer a month er two. Neow tell me, do ye 
honestly think he’d harm your ma? Would he?” 

“No. I don’t think he would. He hates us boys, 
but I can’t believe he would willingly see any harm 
come to my mother.” 

“ That’s sense. Well, Arthur Goodwin had some- 
thin’ to do with that ’ere fire. But he’d look out fer 
your ma. He’d take her to the British camp, where 
there’s lots o’ good women, I’m told, or else he’d 
report to Sam, who’s there now and in a good deal 
better shape to keep her than you’d be if you was 
seen there. You’d be strung up, or else the Panther 
would get after you, and either of them things is 
worse than the other. But my humble opinion is 
that you’d never live to see your ma, or Sam, or the 
camp. There’s somethin’ atween here and there 
which will stand in the way o’ that.” 

As Jairus still hesitated, Jeremiah continued: 
“ And then your ma can do some things fer her- 
self. I know her, and she won’t give in in a 
minit. No, sir. She can take care o’ herself if 
anybody can, and while she may have a hard rub 
of it, you mark my words, what she wants o’ you 


TWO YOUNG PA TRIO TS. 


136 

jest at the present time is to leave her to herself 
and Sam. You’ll make matters a good deal worse 
by tryin’ to put your finger in the pie. If she 
was here, she’d be a sayin’, ‘ Jeremiah Thatcher talks 
sense. He alius talks sense, and Jairus, my boy, 
you go along with him and mind your bis’ness, 
and I’ll mind mine.’ ” 

Jairus still hesitated. He could not bring himself 
to the thought of what to him seemed like the 
desertion of his mother; and yet he knew there 
was sound sense in much that his companion had 
said. He would, in all likelihood, be taken by the 
Indians, or regarded in no friendly light by the 
British, if he were so fortunate as to be able to 
return to Burgoyne’s camp. 

The immediate decision was made for him, how- 
ever, and in an unexpected manner; for, while he 
was hesitating, Jeremiah suddenly grasped his arm 
and said, “ Look there ! Look there ! will you ? 
There’s the sheep-pen goin’ up in the air.” 

Jairus turned quickly and glanced behind him 
in the direction indicated by his companion. Far 
away, as it seemed, a dull glow appeared above 
the outlines of the forest. Even while he looked, 
the glow increased, and darting flames could be 
seen leaping towards the sky. 

“ It’s the sheep-pen ! It is the sheep-pen ! ” he 
said hurriedly. 

“ In course it’s the sheep-pen,” replied Jeremiah. 
“ The rascals have probably crept up and shot some 


THE DIFFICULTIES ARE INCREASED. 


13 7 


burnin’ arrows into it, or set fire to it close to the 
ground. Jest as like as not they’re a hangin’ round 
waitin’ for us to come out and be caught, the way 
a boy does when he drowns out a woodchuck. 
There ! hear that yell, will you ! That’s what you’d 
get if you only hung around here long enough, and 
you wouldn’t hear it long, either. No, sir! I tell 
you we crawled out jest in the nick o’ time ! ” 

Jairus listened, and it did seem as if he could 
hear the sound of distant shouts. Perhaps it was 
his imagination, he thought, but there was no de- 
ception about the fire. The glow steadily increased, 
and each moment the flames seemed to dart higher 
and higher. The sheep-pen was burning and the 
besiegers either were waiting for them to come forth 
and surrender, or had already discovered the means 
by which they had made their escape. In the latter 
case, it might be that they were already in pursuit, 
while they were stupidly waiting for them to come 
near. 

As if to give added force to the last suggestion, 
Jeremiah suddenly whispered, “ Hark! I thought I 
heard somethin’. Come on, Jairus! This is no 
place for us to be a waitin’ in. Let’s make for that 
canoe ! ” 

Jairus instantly followed his companion as he 
swiftly made his way down to the shore. As they 
ran, it seemed to them as if multitudes were in 
pursuit. Over the fallen logs, through the rough 
bushes, they made their way, not even stopping to 


38 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


glance behind them. Even Jeremiahs customary 
prudence had apparently been cast aside in his 
eagerness to gain possession of the birch-bark 
canoe, and seek the shelter which the darkness and 
the lake together might offer. 

Jeremiah was the first to gain the shore, but 
Jairus was close behind, and as he approached he 
was startled by a sudden exclamation of his com- 
panion : — 

“ Gum ! ” 

“What is it, Jeremiah ? ” 

“ The canoe’s gone.” 

Jairus quickly looked in the place where the 
canoe had been hidden. A brief investigation con- 
firmed the truth of Jeremiah’s words. The canoe 
was indeed gone ; and rising from his knees, his 
heart filled now with the thought of a new fear, 
Jairus turned and looked at his companion in the 
dim light on the shore. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

THE FALL OF THE OLD FORT. 

It was from Crown Point that General Burgoyne 
had sent forth his pompous proclamation, to which 
we have already referred. The few Americans who 
had formed the garrison there had quickly aban- 
doned the fort and retreated to Ticonderoga on the 
approach of the British. 

The invading army had at once taken possession 
of the place and made arrangements to establish a 
hospital there, although in their confidence they 
expected there would be but a slight need for any 
such institution. A magazine and stores were also 
provided before the army began its operations 
against the more formidable fort at Ticonderoga. 

All were confident, and the fact that no resistance 
had been made at Crown Point gave them the 
impression that they would meet with slight oppo- 
sition on their onward march. 

The division in which Samuel Goodwin unfortu- 
nately found himself was under the command of 
General Fraser, who, next to Burgoyne, was looked 
upon as the ablest general in the British army. 

139 


140 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Some light infantry, grenadiers, Canadians, and 
Indians made up the bulk of the division, and they 
had ten pieces of light artillery with which to en- 
force any demands they might make upon the con- 
fused and frightened Americans. 

They had encamped at the mouth of Putnam’s 
creek on the west side of the lake, and then moved 
up to Four Mile Point, which, as its name suggested, 
was only four miles from Fort Ticonderoga, the first 
important place to be gained by Burgoyne’s army. 

The Hessians, at the same time when General 
Fraser began to move, advanced along the eastern 
shore under the leadership of Lieutenant-Colonel 
Brayman, while all the remainder of the army, of 
which General John Burgoyne himself had com- 
mand, were on board the gunboats, the frigates, and 
the Royal George , and over the water had moved 
up between the two divisions on the shores. 

When the forces on the land halted, the boats 
came to anchor just out of the range of the cannon 
of the fort. 

The scouts soon brought the British general 
information that Sugar Loaf Hill (later called 
Mount Defiance) and Mount Hope (said to have 
been so called by the British because of the “ hope” 
it gave them of an easy and speedy advance) had 
been left without guards by the Americans, and 
Burgoyne was not long in deciding that these were 
the very positions he wanted for himself, and so 
prepared at once to gain possession of them. 


THE FALL OF THE OLD FORT. 141 

Mount Independence was in reality the strong 
garrison of the Americans. It was stronger than 
Ticonderoga, and much better supplied with pro- 
visions. Batteries guarded its approaches, and it was 
fairly well supplied with artillery. There was also 
a strong abatis next to the water, and on the north- 
western side the foot of the hill was strongly en- 
trenched. From the entrenchments great cannon 
pointed down the lake, and were ready to challenge 
the approach of any foe ; and near the point, by the 
mouth of East creek, there was a great circular 
battery. 

All these defences were comparatively strong; 
but, as we know, the men were not well equipped, 
and clothing, ammunition, and food, to say nothing 
of reinforcements when they should be needed, were 
sadly wanting. 

Nor were there men enough to look well to 
the lines. Nine hundred of them were militia, 
and it is said that not one in ten had bayonets for 
their guns ; while the two thousand five hundred 
and forty-six Continentals were not in a much better 
condition, so negligent had Congress been. 

It was on the 2d of July, 1777, when the right 
wing of the British moved forward and the Ameri- 
cans prepared to resist what they believed and 
hoped would be a direct attack upon the fort. 

If General St. Clair could only have chosen the 
method by which the British would attack him, he 
might have made a successful resistance ; but unfort- 


142 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


unately the enemy selected their own plans in place 
of his, and as a consequence the Americans suffered 
far more than a mere disappointment, as we shall 
soon see. 

The outlying Americans made but a feeble resist- 
ance, and soon abandoned the outposts, although 
they endeavored to set fire to them before they 
withdrew. The bold rocky crag, six hundred feet 
above the clear waters of the lakes, was soon in pos- 
session of the enemy, and they at once prepared to 
follow up the advantage in a manner wholly unex- 
pected by the defenders of Ticonderoga. 

None of the Americans had believed this place 
could be occupied by the British. They knew, it is 
true, that if artillery could only be planted there, 
it would drive them from every place they held. 
They had been warned repeatedly of the danger, 
but not deeming it possible that cannon could be 
dragged up its steep and rocky slopes, they had 
given the matter little thought. 

The British engineer, Lieutenant Twiss, studied 
it carefully, however, and reported what he had dis- 
covered to the British generals, Fraser and Phillips. 

The latter officer was a man of quick decision 
and prompt action, and declared that “ Where a 
goat can go, a man can go ; and where a man can 
go, he can haul a cannon.” 

There was a deep defile, which shielded the 
British from the view of the garrison, and Phillips’s 
men at once began to work night and day in 


THE FALL OF THE OLD FORT. 


143 


breaking a pathway, and hauling up the heavy 
cannon. 

They worked, we are told, “ like beavers,” or as 
beavers are said to work, without cessation ; and we 
can well imagine the surprise and consternation of 
the Americans when in the early morning light of 
the 5th of July, 1777, they looked up to the crag, 
which General Fraser in his confidence had now 
named Mount Defiance, and saw it swarming with 
the red-coated enemy. 

And something besides men was there, too. 
Great cannon looked down upon the fort, and there 
was not a place within the garrison which they 
could not sweep. Every man could be counted by 
the enemy on the heights, and every movement 
could be plainly seen. Something must be done, 
and at once. 

General St. Clair, greatly chagrined and disturbed, 
we may be sure, hastily called a council of his offi- 
cers and began to discuss what was best to be 
done ; but in whichever way they turned their 
eyes, they withdrew them again, to gaze at that 
terrible sight on the height above. 

They might fight. Men always can do that, but 
there is slight advantage to be gained by fight- 
ing, unless there is something worth fighting for. 
There were not soldiers enough to man the de- 
fences well, and when the action began, it would 
be necessary to work night and day, and all the 
time they would be exposed to the terrible fire 


144 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


of those awful guns gazing down at them from 
above. 

Nor could any aid reasonably be expected from 
without. General Schuyler was at Fort Edward, 
but he did not have enough men in his command 
to permit him to send any for the relief of the fort, 
and, besides, it would be almost impossible to get 
word to him in time. 

Within the space of another day the British 
would have their work completed. It was impos- 
sible to dislodge them now, and as soon as their 
work should be completed, then all they would 
have to do would be to shoot down upon the 
defenceless men, and demolish their defences at 
their leisure. 

General St. Clair was a brave man. No one to- 
day doubts that, but he had made the mistake of 
not preparing for this very emergency. Great as 
his mistake was, however, that of Congress had 
been greater, and by their neglect and delay in 
providing men and supplies, they had left the little 
garrison in a terrible plight. He could remain and 
fight, but the end would be that both his men and 
his fort would be lost. 

On the other hand, he might withdraw his forces, 
and while he could not save Ticonderoga, he might 
be able to save his men. He knew he would be 
misjudged and blamed, but at last he arrived at a 
decision. It was better to suffer himself than to 
permit his men to remain for certain destruction, 


THE FALL OF THE OLD FORT. 1 45 

and like the brave man that he was, he calmly and 
decidedly gave it as his opinion that the place 
should be evacuated. 

His proposal was at once agreed to. The can- 
non which could not be moved were to be spiked, 
and so rendered useless for the invaders. Each 
soldier was to provide himself with provisions for 
several days, the lights were to be put out before 
the tents were struck, and to make the British 
believe that they were intending to try to defend 
the fort, a continuous firing from the battery near- 
est Mount Hope was to be kept up ; and then in 
the night they were all silently to withdraw and 
abandon the place. 

Of course there was great consternation and con- 
fusion in the American camp. Fears of an im- 
mediate attack made the men timid, and not all 
the orders were understood. It had been arranged 
to place all the baggage and stores that could be 
collected on board of two hundred bateaux and send 
them up to Skenesborough (Whitehall) under the 
protection of five armed galleys, while the army 
was to proceed by land, marching by the way of 
Castleton to the same place. 

It had also been planned not to let the men 
know of the movement until after the evening 
orders had been given ; but the project could not 
entirely be kept secret, and alarm and confusion at 
once followed. 

At about two o’clock in the morning the e vacua- 


146 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


tion was begun. There was a full moon, but it 
was hoped the light would not be sufficient to en- 
able the British to see their movements. Careful 
orders had been given as to the lights, and all the 
camp-fires had been extinguished. 

Only an hour after the movement began, a house 
caught fire. Some say that General de Fermoy, 
regardless of orders, was to be blamed for this, and 
that as soon as his troops left, he kindled the blaze 
himself. Others, however, say that it was purely 
a matter of accident, and that in the haste and 
confusion of the departure it was all the result of 
carelessness. 

Whatever the cause, the building was soon in 
flames, and in the light it afforded, the British 
sentinels caught a glimpse of the last body of men 
just as they left the fort and disappeared from 
sight within the dark shadows of the forest. 

The alarm guns of the sentinels at once in- 
formed the invaders of the action of the Americans, 
and the fact that they knew their retreat had been 
discovered greatly increased the confusion and 
alarm among the departing troops. 

Scarcely an hour had passed, and the sun was 
just beginning to appear above the eastern hills, 
when General Fraser’s men raised the British flag 
over old Fort Ticonderoga, which now for the third 
time in its history passed into the possession of an 
enemy without a drop of blood having been shed. 

In 1759 the English under General Amherst 


THE FALL OF THE OLD FORT . 


14 7 


had captured it without the loss of a man; in 1775 
Colonel Ethan Allen had led the New England 
provincials against it and gained possession without 
a gun having been fired. And now for the third 
time it fell in a similar manner into the possession 
of General John Burgoyne. 

But the British this time were not satisfied with the 
mere fact of possession. General Fraser with nine 
hundred men, among whom were Lieutenant David 
Jones and the unwilling private Samuel Goodwin, 
started in swift pursuit of the retreating Americans. 
The Baron de Riedesel was soon sent to support 
Fraser, while General Burgoyne, after leaving about 
a thousand men to garrison the fort which had 
fallen so easily into his hands, started up the lake 
with the main body of his confident and victorious 
army. 

The Americans had made a strong boom at Ticon- 
deroga, and thought that pursuit by water would be 
almost impossible ; but long before noon the eager 
British had made an opening and cleared the way, 
and their flotilla, crowding on all sail, started after 
the two hundred bateaux on which so much of the 
baggage and stores of the retreating Americans had 
been placed. And so successful were the British, 
that before the sun set all these stores had been 
destroyed. 

General Fraser’s division, meanwhile, was in 
swift pursuit of the Americans, who were retreating 
among the Green Hills, and were confident that 


148 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


they would soon overtake the fleeing and demoral- 
ized men. 

In spite of all his watchfulness, Samuel Goodwin 
had not found an opportunity to escape from the 
British army. Here he was in hot pursuit of his 
own countrymen, and his heart was heavy when he 
thought of the misfortunes which already had be- 
fallen them, and of the worse disasters which he 
feared might yet be in store. 

“ Fine body, that of St. Clair’s !” laughed Lieuten- 
ant David as for a time he marched beside Samuel. 
“ They fight like a flock of ducks. It won’t be possi- 
ble soon to find a feather. I shouldn’t be surprised 
if by the time we get to Hubbardton there wouldn’t 
be a man left in the American army.” 

Samuel made no reply, and indeed it seemed to 
him just then that there was no reply to be made. 
He was discouraged and disheartened, and the taunts 
of David apparently rested on a true foundation. 
Still he was not entirely in despair. He carefully 
tried to conceal his real feelings, well knowing that 
after Jairus’s escape his own actions would be care- 
fully watched. 

The victorious army took but little time for halts 
or rest. They were all eager now to follow up their 
successful work and, by striking one quick blow, at 
the same time destroy St. Clair’s army and open up 
the way for the union of Burgoyne’s army with that 
of Sir Henry Clinton’s, and so divide and practically 
destroy the confederacy and rebellion. 


THE FALL OF THE OLD FORT. 


149 


On the morning of the 7th of July General 
Fraser’s army was within sight of the retreating 
Americans at Hubbard ton, and with a heavy heart 
Samuel Goodwin realized that another engagement 
was about to take place, and that before it was ended 
he doubtless would see many of his own countrymen 
fall. And he must do his share in the battle. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


THE BOLD YOUNG SERGEANT. 

The thoughts of the trembling young soldier 
were recalled from the scene before him by some 
one touching him upon the arm. Turning about, he 
saw standing before him a red-coated soldier not 
much older than he, who was gazing curiously at 
him. 

“ Is this young Goodwin ? ” the stranger asked 
after the pause of a moment. 

“ That’s my name,” replied Samuel, returning the 
glance. “ What do you want of me ? ” 

He tried to speak as if he were not concerned by 
the unexpected salutation, but in spite of all his 
efforts his cheeks became pale as he thought of a 
possible detection now. Even the excitement of the 
approaching engagement was forgotten for the mo- 
ment, and he began to picture the troubles into 
which he might be led. Perhaps it was now known 
who he was, and the British might think he was 
there to obtain information for the other side. 

All sorts of conjectures were passing rapidly 
through his mind. It was distasteful, this passing 


THE BOLD YOUNG SEDGE ANT. 1 5 I 

even in the army of the enemy for some one he was 
not, but up to this time he had never considered his 
position as an especially dangerous one. 

Troubled as he was, he was hardly prepared for 
the reply of the young sergeant, for such he proved 
to be, when he said : — 

“You’re to come with me. I’ve a letter from 
your father.” 

“ A letter from my father ! ” said the astonished 
Samuel. “ Why, my father’s — ” 

In a moment he recovered himself and stopped 
abruptly. He had been about to explain that his 
father was dead, when he suddenly bethought him- 
self and waited for the stranger to go on. It might 
be better to let another speak rather than talk too 
much himself. 

“Yes, yes, I know,” said the young sergeant 
quickly. “ He’s up at St. John’s, and you had no 
thought of a word from him. That’s all right, my 
boy, that’s all right.” 

Samuel kept himself from smiling at the fatherly 
air of the young officer, who could not be more than 
two or three years older than he. He only turned 
aside his head and pretended to be watching the 
lines in front of him, and his companion went on 
without perceiving the effect of his words upon the 
young soldier. 

“ No, I don’t think you expected a message from 
him, but it’s come. He’s written us ” (the young 
sergeant seemed to take an especial delight in rolling 


52 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


out the word “ us ”) “that he has another good-sized 
band of loyalists to forward to us. We’ll take ’em 
all right, though it isn’t likely we shall need any 
more men, judging from what has happened lately. 
The Yankees ran out of old Ty like rats from a hole 
when you pour water into it, and they seem to have 
been able to keep up a fairly good rate of speed ever 
since.” 

He glanced forward as he spoke at the prepara- 
tions which were going on for the engagement. 

“ What do you want of me, then ? ” inquired 
Samuel. 

“ Oh, we think we’ll take the men. All good 
loyalists are always welcome in our camp. But 
just now we want to look after supplies even more 
than we do men ; so the general thinks, and I agree 
with him, that we’d better send your father word to 
that effect. Probably we shan’t want them long, 
for this whole thing will be over in a few days now; 
but it’s well enough to look to your supplies at any 
time. So I’ve thought it a good thing to take you 
and go up to see your father and explain the whole 
matter to him. I’m sorry to miss the fun here. 
Indeed, I am ! ” 

The manifest pride of the sergeant was all lost on 
Samuel, who was trying to think his way out of the 
new complications in which he found himself. It 
was plain that he had been mistaken for his cousin 
Arthur, and at first he had felt inclined to set him- 
self right in that particular; but it instantly occurred 


THE BOLD ' YOUNG SERGEANT. I 53 

to him that here was an opportunity which he 
might turn to his own advantage. If he did not 
inform the sergeant of his mistake, he doubtless 
would leave the army with him, and somewhere 
before they arrived at St. John’s he might be able to 
find a way out of his difficulties. If not, he knew the 
prospect when he should stand before his uncle 
would not be very bright for him ; for the hatred 
with which he and all his immediate family were 
regarded was only too well known by him. 

“You’d better go with him, Sam,” said Lieuten- 
ant David, who had thought the momentary silence 
of his companion was due to his desire to remain 
with the army. “ This is only going to be a little 
brush with the Yankees. One volley will be all 
they’ll want or stand. If they ran out of old Ty 
without a gun being fired, what will they do when 
they hear so many go off at once ? I’d go with 
him.” 

“ Of course he’ll go with me,” said the young ser- 
geant pompously. “ Haven’t I just told him that 
was what I came here for ? I’ve had a great 
time finding him, too ; but it’ll be all right now. 
Of course he’ll go. He hasn’t anything to say 
about that.” 

“ When do we start? ” asked Samuel, again to all 
appearances ignoring the manner of the conceited 
young officer before him. 

“ We go now. We’ll start at once, if you please. 
We’re in a hurry to get this word to your father, and 


154 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


I am in just as great a hurry to get back to the 
army. I may be needed.” 

“You surely will be,” said Samuel quickly. “I 
don’t just see how General Fraser will get along 
without you. Why don’t you just send me alone? 
I can do the work, and you’ll be missed here.” 

Samuel spoke eagerly, too eagerly, he feared, 
when he stopped and noticed David looking keenly 
at him. 

“ Oh, they’ll have to get along as best they can 
without me,” said the sergeant, apparently not per- 
ceiving anything implied or concealed in Samuel’s 
words. “ It won’t take us long to run down the 
lake, and we’ll soon have it all fixed and be back in 
the ranks again. I can’t let you go alone, my boy. 
The errand’s too important to be trusted to any but 
experienced men. But you can help me, my boy ; 
you can help me, and it may prove in the end to be 
a good thing for you, too. I certainly shall do all 
in my power to aid you if you prove to be as good 
a fellow as I hope you are. Come on ; we’ll start 
now.” 

“ Good by, then, Lieutenant,” said Samuel, turn- 
ing to his late companion. “ I hope we shan’t be 
gone long. I suppose we’re to keep our guns, 
aren’t we ? ” he added, turning again to the sergeant. 

“ Certainly, though there won’t be anything the 
length of Champlain to draw a shot. Come on, 
now. We’ve got to trudge it out to the lake.” 

Samuel started obediently, wondering at the 


THE BOLD YOUNG SEDGE A NT. I 55 

eagerness of his companion to depart. They 
walked rapidly along the rough road and had not 
gone far before the sound of shots behind them 
began to be heard. 

“ There, they’re at it ! ” said Samuel, stopping for 
a moment, and listening to the distant roar which 
each moment grew louder. 

“Yes, yes,” replied the sergeant, “but we must 
hurry. We’ve lost too much time already. Why, 
do you know I almost came to believe that there 
was no such fellow in all the army as Arthur Good- 
win, it seemed to be so difficult to find him ! ” 

The young sergeant spoke rapidly, and there was 
a strange light in his eyes which Samuel suspected 
was not born alone of his desire to do the errand on 
which they had started. His suspicions were in- 
creased as the sergeant broke into a run, glancing 
quickly behind him at frequent intervals, as if he 
feared the tide of the battle might turn towards 
them. 

Samuel was wise enough to keep his thoughts to 
himself, however, and followed his companion until 
soon the sounds of the distant engagement became 
fainter and fainter, and at last no longer could be 
heard. 

“One volley didn’t seem to scatter the Yankees 
this time, if we can judge from the way the racket 
is kept up,” he said at last, when his breathless 
companion appeared to be willing to abandon the 
swift pace they had taken. 



56 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ Pooh ! probably the regulars made them run at 
the first fire, and have been chasing them ever since. 
I should think so from the sounds we heard. They 
seemed to be farther away all the time.” 

“ Or we were farther from the sounds, I don’t 
know which,” remarked Samuel dryly. 

“ That’s all right,” replied the sergeant. “ We’ve 
kept up a pretty good pace, for I’m in a hurry to 
get back, you know. If we keep this up, we’ll be 
back in good season, though I’m afraid the whole of 
Burgoyne’s army will be so far away by that time, 
chasing these Y ankees, that we’ll have to make quite a 
long trip to catch up with them. If Sir Henry wasn’t 
coming up the Hudson to meet us, I verily believe 
we’d chase these rebels right down to York, and 
they’d jump right off into the ocean of their own 
accord. But there’s one comfort, we’d jump right 
off after ’em. That’s just what every one of us 
would do ! ” 

“ That’s what we seem to be doing just at present,” 
said Samuel soberly. 

“ We’re helping the good work on,” replied the 
sergeant cheerfully. The fact that the guns could 
no longer be heard appeared to have had a very 
marked effect on his spirits. “ Now, I want to tell 
you, young Goodwin, that I shan’t stand on my 
dignity while we’re together on this trip. Of course 
when we get back into the ranks again, I shall expect 
you to address me as Sergeant Richmond. Even 
General Fraser won’t let his warmest friends call 


THE BOLD YOUNG SERGEANT. 157 

him by his first name, and while General Burgoyne 
is called ‘ John ’ and ‘ Johnnie ’ by some of the men, 
I don’t believe he likes it. I shouldn’t, I know. Still, 
I don’t mind it when we’re off together like this, and 
I’ll just call you Arthur, and you can call me Tom if 
you like. Mind you, it’s only while we’re off on 
this trip, you know. I don’t want to put on airs, 
that’s against my principles, and I don’t want you 
to feel that you can’t talk to me as you would to 
any other man, you know.” 

“ Thank you,” replied Samuel, looking soberly at 
his companion as he spoke. 

“ It’s about time we had something to eat,” con- 
tinued Sergeant Tom. “ I’ve got directions where 
to go. You see, there are some true royalists all 
along the shore here, and they know how to treat 
His Majesty’s officers, too. Yes, I rather think this 
is the very place where we are to stop,” he. added, 
as he saw a low house at the fork in the road before 
them. “ Now mind, you’ll have to keep up appear- 
ances here, and call me Sergeant, you know, so long 
as we are in the house. After we go on, it will be 
all right enough to speak of Tom, but not here.” 

Samuel promised to regard the position and dig- 
nity of his companion, and the boys soon turned 
into the yard adjoining the house. The young 
sergeant’s words seemed to produce the desired 
effect, for a hearty breakfast was soon disposed of 
by each of them. 

As soon as this was finished, Tom pompously 


i 5 8 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


drew forth his wallet and paid their hostess, and 
then they resumed their journey. 

“ There’s a little cat-boat we’re to have,” said Tom. 
“ I don’t know whether I told you or not, but I know 
just where it is, and it’s all stocked up for us, too, or 
it will be as soon as we get there. I’ve the orders in 
my pocket, you know,” and he slapped his side as he 
spoke. “ I think we’ll manage somehow to get a 
little fun out of it, and there’ll be no chance for 
a rebel gun to do us any damage, either, as the 
lake’s swept pretty clear now of all such truck as 
that. Not that I’m afraid of any gun a rebel ever 
carried,” he added quickly, apparently fearful that 
his words might leave the impression on his com- 
panion’s mind that he was glad to be away from the 
army. “ They don’t seem to do much damage, you 
know. In fact, they don’t ever seem to stop long 
enough, those cowardly Yankees, even to hold a gun 
to their shoulders a minute.” 

Samuel made no reply, though he was satisfied 
that the guns they had heard had not all been dis- 
charged by one side. But his heart was heavy when 
he thought of the fleeing army. After all, what hope 
was there that the Continentals could ever make a 
successful stand against the well-equipped and well- 
trained forces of General Burgoyne ? Must it all end 
in defeat and loss? Such misfortunes as had recently 
befallen them could not go on forever, and what the 
end was to be the down-hearted boy could not con- 
jecture, and his heart was heavy within him. 


THE BOLD YOUNG SERGEANT. 


59 


Then, too, there were his mother and his brother. 
Where they were, or what had befallen them, he 
did not know; but his thoughts were busy with 
them all the time now. He seldom spoke to his 
companion, and when late in the afternoon the tired 
boys drew near the lake, Tom said: “There! There’s 
the lake. Now didn’t I tell you I’d bring you all 
safe and sound here ? And haven’t I kept my 
word? You can trust one of His Majesty’s officers 
every time, my boy. Now the cat-boat’s right below 
here, and we’ll run down and see if she’s all stocked 
up. I hope she is, for I’m tired out, and a sail on 
the lake is just what I want now. Come on ! ” 

The boys ran eagerly down the shore in spite of 
their weariness, and in a little cove, which Tom 
seemed to know all about, they found the cat-boat, 
and stepped quickly on board. 

“ It’s all right,” said Tom gleefully. “ It’s all 
stocked up for us, and we’ve got enough stuff on 
board to last us a week. Cast off there, and we’ll 
put straight across the lake ; for I think we’ll do 
better to follow the other shore.” 

Samuel followed the directions of the young 
officer, and in a few moments they drew away from 
the Vermont side, and started directly across the 
lake. 


CHAPTER XV. 

AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR. 

For a moment Jairus and Jeremiah gazed at each 
other in the dim light, while neither spoke. The 
disappearance of the canoe was certain, though how 
or where it had gone was a mystery. That it was 
gone, however, there was not the slightest doubt, 
and with it had also gone, as they thought, their sole 
means of escape from that dangerous region. 

“ Mebbe it’s worked loose, and drifted somewhere 
along the beach,” whispered Jeremiah at last. “ You 
go one way and look, and I’ll try the other, but come 
back here in five minutes at the longest.” 

Jairus instantly responded, and a hurried search 
was made along the shore, but no signs of the miss- 
ing canoe could be found. The lad stopped and 
peered carefully out over the waters of the lake. 
Once he thought he saw the missing boat, but he 
soon discovered that what he had seen was the 
rock which rose above the surface between the spot 
where he was standing and the little island that lay 
about a quarter of a mile from the shore. 

There was no help to be seen. The silent waters 

160 


AN UNEXPECTED VI SI TOR. 


161 


stretched away before him, while behind him lay the 
unbroken forest. Under the gentle breeze which 
was blowing, its tall trees swayed and sighed, as if 
they partially understood the feelings of the hardy 
frontiersman. The hooting of the owl had ceased, 
and the very stillness of the night was oppressive. 

Jairus was only dimly conscious of all these 
things, for he was determined to find the lost canoe 
if such a thing were possible; but they all combined 
to increase his feeling of desolation, when at last 
he started to return to the place he had left, where 
he was to await the coming of his companion. 

He ran swiftly along the shore and soon saw Jere- 
miah approaching the meeting-place, but he per- 
ceived at once that his friend had met with no better 
success than had he. 

“ Didn’t find it, did you, Jeremiah ? ” he whispered 
eagerly. 

“Naw! Either the thing’s broken loose and 
drifted away, or some pesky redskin’s got it. He 
may have it neow somewhere up on the banks and 
be watching us all the time, for all I know. Hark ! 
what was that ? ” 

Above the murmuring of the forest arose a call 
which could not be mistaken. The Indians had left 
the sheep-pen and must be approaching the lake. 

“What can we do, Jeremiah?” said Jairus hur- 
riedly. “ We’ve got to do something. Shall we 
make a break and go up, or shall we go down the 
shore ? ” 


M 


62 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ Wait jest a minit,” said Jeremiah. “ You listen 
and I’ll think.” 

“ Oh, come on ! Come on ! Don’t stop here ! 
Let’s make for the upper shore,” said Jairus ex- 
citedly. “We mustn’t stay here! We can’t stay 
here ! Come on, Jeremiah ! Come on ! ” 

As he spoke, Jairus started as if he were about to 
leave his companion and make for the forest. 

But he was quickly recalled as Jeremiah said, “ I 
have it, Jairus. I have it.” 

“ Have what ? ” 

“ The way out. Those varmints must have stolen 
our canoe, and they’d know we made for it when 
they found we’d left the sheep-pen. Neow they’ll 
make a circle and try to shut us in as they start for 
this very place.” 

“ Come on, then. Let’s not wait a single minute 
longer. Come on ! ” Jairus was in a state of great 
excitement, and mistook the coolness of his com- 
panion for indifference. 

“ In jest a minit, Jairus. Jest a minit. Some- 
times the more haste the less speed. We’ve got to 
git our bearings first. Neow there’s a island out 
here in the lake about a quarter of a mile away, isn’t 
there ? ” 

“Yes, but it won’t do us any good without the 
canoe. We can’t swim to it, or you can’t, at least.” 

“No more am I goin’ to try it, but we’ve got to 
make for it. They’ll git us sure pop if we stay 
here.” 


AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR. 163 

“Then what are you staying for? We can’t get 
to the island, and we mustn’t stay here. Come on ! 
Come on ! ” 

Jairus was becoming desperate in his fear. Every 
moment he expected to hear the sound of a gun, or 
feel an arrow shot by some unseen enemy. Every 
tree might be the hiding-place of a foe, while every 
birch or fallen log seemed to him like the very 
presence of his enemies. 

“ Take off yer boots and carry them in yer 
hands,” said Jeremiah quickly. “ Don’t make any 
more noise than ye can help, and follow me. I’ll 
take ye on out o’ this, yet.” 

Jairus instantly obeyed, although he could not 
understand Jeremiah’s plan, and together they 
started down the lake, keeping close inshore, and 
wading through the shallow water. 

It seemed to the lad like a meaningless work, 
and yet so strong was his confidence in his com- 
panion that he uttered no protest. Once or twice 
he stumbled and almost fell ; for his eyes were con- 
stantly towards the forest, from which each moment 
he expected to see some of their enemies emerge. 

“Careful! Careful!” whispered Jeremiah, and 
Jairus strove to follow the example of his compan- 
ion, who was lifting his feet without making a sound 
as he walked rapidly onward. 

For five minutes the strange flight was main- 
tained, and then at a whispered word from Jeremiah 
both stopped and listened. 


64 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


No sound but the murmuring of the night wind 
could be heard, and with a grunt of satisfaction, 
Jeremiah, in a low voice, said : “This is the place. 
Neow take hold with me and we’ll lift a couple of 
these logs into the water. Don’t make any noise, 
and be quick about it, too, for I don’t think we’ve 
much time to waste.” 

As he spoke, Jeremiah advanced to a low pile of 
logs that were lying near the shore. Jairus instantly 
recalled them as some which he and his brother 
had cut in the preceding winter, intending to build 
a little dock there. He quickly obeyed his com- 
panion, however, and in a moment two of the logs 
had been removed from the pile and transferred to 
the lake. 

“ Neow, tie yer boots together and hang them over 
the log,” said Jeremiah, quickly producing some 
thongs of deer’s hide from his pockets and cutting 
them with his knife. 

He handed one piece to Jairus, and with the 
other tied his own boots together and hung them 
across the log before him. 

Jairus speedily followed his example, not yet 
understanding his friend’s plan, but still trusting to 
his judgment. 

“Neow, then,” said Jeremiah, “we’ll strike out 
with these ’ere logs and try to make for that island. 
I never could swim it, never in the world, but with 
this log I’ll do it jest as easy as a boy paddles 
around a mill-pond. Don’t make any noise, and 


AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR. 


65 


whatever else ye do, keep close to me. Ye’ll git 
yer clothes wet, but that isn’t worth mindin’ ; neow, 
then,” and as he spoke he quickly pushed his log 
before him, and wading a few feet out into the lake 
until the water rose to his shoulders, began to swim, 
leaning upon the end of the log, and slowly pushing 
it before him. 

Jairus was soon by his side, and together the two 
men swam on. The logs were not large, but were 
sufficient to bear their weight, and soon the men had 
passed from the shore, the line of which could now 
no longer be seen. 

Behind them lay the dark forest, but no signs of 
their enemies had yet appeared. With their heads 
close to the water, even in the dim light they could 
see a considerable distance about them. Both were 
familiar with the location of the island they were 
seeking, but its outlines could not yet be discerned. 

They had gone several hundred yards before they 
rested. Then, at a word from Jeremiah, both ceased 
from their labors for a moment, and looked behind 
them and listened. A pause of a moment served to 
show them that as yet none of their enemies were 
following them, and Jeremiah gave the word to re- 
sume their labors. 

“ Are you tired ? ” whispered Jairus. “ Don’t you 
want to rest a little longer ? ” 

“ Naw, not a bit,” whispered Jeremiah. “ There’s 
only one thing that troubles me.” 

“ What’s that ? ” 


66 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ I’m wet, and this lake water isn’t fit to swim in. 
I’d rather have a mill-pond any day.” 

Jairus was in no mood for joking, but the ap- 
parent indifference of his companion served to 
strengthen his own hopes, and with renewed courage 
he began to move again, striving all the time to 
keep close to his companion. 

With all their efforts, their progress was neces- 
sarily slow, and several rests were taken before the 
outlines of the island appeared in the darkness 
before them. But at last it was seen, and then 
they slightly changed their course and drew near 
the shore. 

“ The other side, the other side,” whispered Jere- 
miah. “We want to come in from the lake side, 
not from the shore. If any of those redskins should 
happen to get sight of these ’ere logs, he’d come 
over to see what they were for.” 

Jeremiah spoke with difficulty now, and Jairus 
could readily perceive that he was thoroughly 
chilled by the long swim ; but they kept together, 
and circling the point, soon approached the island 
from the lake side. 

Light was just beginning to appear in the east 
when the weary swimmers stepped on the shore. 
They quickly lifted the logs out of the water and 
concealed them under the bushes that grew near 
the bank. The island itself was covered with a low 
growth of trees, and promised to provide a shelter, 
at least for a time. 


AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR. l6? 

“We’ll wring out our clothes, first,” said Jere- 
miah, his teeth chattering as he spoke. 

Their clothing was quickly removed, and by the 
united efforts of both, the garments were soon 
wrung comparatively dry. The sun had appeared 
by this time, and the July morning gave promise of 
being unusually warm. This was not lamented, 
however, by either of the men, for both of them 
were thoroughly chilled. 

“ We’ll get no breakfast here,” said Jairus dole- 
fully. 

“ We’ll get something better than that, we’ll get 
ourselves,” replied Jeremiah. “ When you come to 
think of it, a breakfast doesn’t count for much along- 
side gettin’ out o’ that pen of yours, and makin’ our 
way through the woods, where the redskins are 
swarmin’ like bees. No, sir, not much ! We can 
afford to wait till to-morrow, or the day after if 
necessary, for a breakfast. We’ve saved our bacon, 
anyway, and there’ll be time enough to cook it by 
and by.” 

Although they were tired by the exertions of the 
preceding night, they took several turns along the 
shore, and in the warm sunlight their clothing was 
soon dry, and the men were greatly refreshed. 

“ We’ll go over on the other side now,” said Jere- 
miah, “ and see how it looks along the shore.” 

Jairus readily responded, but neither of them was 
prepared for the sight which greeted their eyes as 
they looked across the water which intervened be- 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


1 68 

tween them and the New York side of the lake. 
Directly in front of them, at about half the distance 
to the mainland, six canoes could be seen moving 
rapidly up the lake. 

“ There’s yer tormentors,” said Jeremiah as he 
caught sight of the little fleet. “ They’re the fellows 
that set fire to yer pen and burned up yer house, 
Jairus. Gum! but it’s too bad we had to leave our 
guns.” 

Jairus made no reply, for he was eagerly watching 
the departing canoes. He counted eighteen men, 
and several of them he was satisfied were white. 

Jeremiah, as if reading his companion’s thoughts, 
said : “ It’s jest as I calc’lated. See them white 
fellows ! They’re the lads who are at the bottom 
of all the mischief.” 

“Jeremiah,” said Jairus hastily, “ they’re coming 
this way. They’re coming here. You don’t sup- 
pose they’ve got sight of us, do you ? ” 

“ Naw,” responded Jeremiah quickly. 

Nevertheless, he withdrew hastily a little farther 
within the shelter of the trees on the island, an 
example which his companion as speedily followed. 

The canoes, however, were not seeking the island. 
After slightly changing their course, they held steadily 
on their way up the lake, and in the course of a half- 
hour had become only little specks upon the water 
in the distance, and soon after disappeared entirely 
from the sight of the watchers on the island. 

It was with a feeling of relief that Jairus then 


AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR . 


169 


said: “ It’ll be safe now for us to go back, won’t it? 
I’m hungry, and we’ll find something to eat around 
the place, I’m sure.” 

“ Not yet, not yet, my gallant friend. We don’t 
know how many have been left behind. I rather 
think that those six canoes took all the band, but 
nobody can tell for sartain. They may be cornin’ 
back, too. No, all we can do is to stay here to-day, 
and perhaps to-night or to-morrow mornin’ it’ll be 
safe for us to paddle ashore. Neow, you go and lie 
down, and I’ll keep one eye on the lake and the 
other on the shore, jest as if I was cross-eyed, ye 
see.” 

Jairus protested a moment, and urged his com- 
panion to rest first and permit him to keep watch ; 
but Jeremiah was determined, and as the lad was 
almost worn out by the exertions of the night, he 
soon allowed himself to be persuaded ; and within a 
sheltered spot and under the warm rays of the sum- 
mer sun he soon stretched himself upon the ground 
and was asleep. 

Just how long he slept, he did not know, but he 
was awakened by Jeremiah shaking him gently by 
the shoulder. “ Come, Jairus, wake up ! We’ve got 
visitors.” 

“ Got what ? ” exclaimed the startled lad, at once 
standing erect and looking sharply at his com- 
panion. 

“ Got vis’tors. Can’t ye understand the king’s 
English? About two hours ago I sighted a little 


170 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


craft cornin' over the lake. I didn’t jest know what 
to make of it at first, but I kept still and said nothin’, 
which same is a habit o’ mine. Pretty quick, I dis- 
covered they were a makin’ for this very island, so I 
still kept still and said nothin’, though I watched ’em 
mighty sharp. Well, they landed all right, and there 
were two of ’em, jest two and no more. And both 
was redcoats, or leastwise one of ’em was, for he 
had on the redcoat uniform. They’re both young 
fellows, too. Boys, ’most like you.” 

“ Are they here now ? ” 

“ One of ’em is. The other fellow, the one what 
didn’t have any uniform on, soon after they landed 
took the little skiff they had in tow and started for 
the shore. The other fellow’s here, and all alone. 
Ye see, it’s all clear that some of those chaps are up 
by your house yet. Jairus, you never ought to 
have built your house on such a thoroughfare. 
’Twas a big mistake, my lad, though I’m not sayin’ 
you are to blame for it.” 

“ And you say there’s only one here now ? ” 

“ Yes, only one.” 

“ Then why don’t we go down and get him, or at 
least take his boat ? ” 

“ ’Cause he’s got guns and we’ve got none, and 
that’s where the fun’s begun,” said Jeremiah soberly. 
“ Still, I’m not sayin’ your suggestion’s a bad one. 
Come on and we’ll take a peep at him and see how 
the land lies.” 

Jairus quickly followed his companion, and to- 


AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR . 


7 


gether they moved noiselessly among the trees until 
they came to a place from which they could look 
down and see the little boat on the shore, and not 
far away the young “ British redcoat,” as Jeremiah 
termed him. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


A PRIZE. 

For a moment Jairus and his companion did not 
speak. The young soldier was seated upon the 
ground and leaning against a tree. At first they 
thought he was asleep, but as he soon stirred and 
lazily struck at the daisies near him with the dead 
branch he was holding in his hands, they knew that 
he must be awake, though apparently he was feel- 
ing the influence of the warm summer day. 

And the day itself was almost ideal. The sun, 
now high in the heavens, had burned away every 
vestige of a cloud in the sky. The waters of the 
lake were almost like glass, while the mountains in 
the distance appeared indistinct and dim in the haze 
which surrounded them. The occasional notes of 
some bird, or the shrill grating sounds of the insects, 
were all that could be heard. The only indication 
of war was the young soldier in his bright-colored 
uniform, and even he seemed to have lost all in- 
terest in the struggle, under the influence of the 
peaceful scene about him. 

“ Are you sure he’s the only soldier on the 
island?” whispered Jairus at last. 


172 


A PRIZE. 


73 


“ Sartain, sure,” replied Jeremiah. “ I had my 
eye on ’em when they landed and there were only 
two, and one o’ the pair’s gone ashore. No, he’s 
the sole subject of his satanic — beg pardon, I mean 
Britannic — majesty on this ’ere island o’ peace, 
which by good right belongs to New Hampshire.” 

“ Of course he’s armed, Jeremiah ? ” 

“ That’s what I can’t tell yet. I can make out a 
gun or two on the boat, but I can’t see any near 
him. You look, Jairus; your eyes are sharper than 
mine.” 

Jairus again looked carefully on the ground at 
the feet of the young soldier, but reported that he 
could not discover any weapon of warfare. 

“He thinks he’s safe and lord o’ all he surveys,” 
said Jeremiah. “ My ’pinion is that he’s waitin’ 
for that other fellow to come back. We won’t 
wait any longer. We’ll come up to the lad atween 
him and the shore, and that’ll cut him off from his 
pop-guns. Neow you let me do the talkin’, Jairus, 
and you jest follow me and do as I do. Come on, 
neow. It’s high time we were a movin’.” 

They crept out from their hiding-place and made 
their way carefully and slowly along the shore, pre- 
pared to make a dash for the boat if the young 
soldier discovered them too soon. But the drowsy 
redcoat had no thought of company on the island, 
and his head nodded again and again, as if he had 
almost forgotten the fact that he was there himself. 

“We’re all right neow,” said Jeremiah as they 


174 TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 

came in line with the boat. “ Neow we’ll wake him 
up ! 

“ Mornin’ to ye, friend,” said Jeremiah as he and 
his companion left the shore and started towards 
the young soldier. “ Mornin’ to ye,” he repeated 
as they came nearer. 

The man was awake in an instant, and as he 
glanced quickly about him for his gun, Jeremiah 
smiled sympathetically, and said, “Ye wasn’t lookin’ 
for vis’tors here, like enough ? ” 

“ Who are you ? ” demanded the young soldier, 
realizing that he was cut off from an approach to 
his boat. He could not entirely conceal his alarm, 
and yet he was striving to be cool and collected. 

“ Oh, we’re jest two o’ the inhabitants of this 
goodly land. Jest let me ask who may you be, 
yourself ? ” 

“ I’m Sergeant Richmond, and I belong to Gen- 
eral Fraser’s division.” 

“Glad to hear it,” replied Jeremiah solemnly. 
“ Glad to hear. And what may you be a doin’ 
here?” 

The young soldier glanced suspiciously at the 
speaker before he replied. Perhaps he felt some- 
what uncertain of the reception his reply would 
meet. But he soon threw off his hesitation, as he 
said : “ I’m on my way to meet some recruits and 
get some supplies for the army. Not that we need 
them very much, but the Canadians haven’t done 
very well for us yet, for the general says he has 


A PRIZE. 


175 


only about a hundred and fifty of them in the 
army. We don’t need them, but if they want to 
come in, I’m not the man to keep them out.” 

He was rapidly recovering his confidence now, 
and boldly added : “ Perhaps you two belong to 
them. This man,” he added, looking keenly at 
Jairus as he spoke, “looks like some one I’ve seen 
before. You either belong to the army, or I’ve seen 
you there, haven’t I ? ” 

Before Jairus could reply, Jeremiah said ab- 
ruptly : “ There’s no use in mincin’ matters, my 
young friend. We belong to the Yankee rebels, as 
you call ’em, and what’s more, you belong to us.” 

The young soldier’s boldness for the moment dis- 
appeared. He glanced quickly about him as if he 
was looking for some means of escape, but appar- 
ently concluding that he must remain and face his 
danger, he said : — , 

“ What are you going to do with me ? It’s little 
good a prisoner will do you now.” 

“ Why isn’t a prisoner as good for us as it is for 
you, with your Dutch butchers and redcoats ? ” 

“Why, just because your whole army are prison- 
ers now. Every mother’s son of them by this time 
has surrendered to General Burgoyne.” 

“ What’s that you say ? What ye talkin’ ? Don’t 
ye try any o’ yer dodges on me, young man ! ” said 
Jeremiah. “ I’m not exactly in the frame o’ mind to 
put up with sech nonsense at the present moment.” 

“ I mean just what I say,” replied the young 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


1 76 

soldier, quick to see the effect of his words, and be- 
coming instantly bolder. “ Of course you know 
we’ve got Ticonderoga? ” 

“Got Ticonderoga? What ye talkin’? Ye 
don’t mean what ye’re a sayin’ ? ” 

“ Yes, I do mean just what I’m saying. We took 
Ticonderoga without losing a man, and the rebels 
have put out across the country on the double 
quick. General Fraser’s after those who are on the 
other side of the lake, and when we started, we 
could hear the guns over by Hubbardton, and 
there’s no doubt he’s got ’em all before this time. 
And as for the others, why, General Burgoyne’s 
after them and probably by this time he’s got ’em 
all, or driven ’em right into Clinton’s hands. Oh, 
we’ve got you, my festive Yankee, we’ve got you ! ” 
The depression of Jeremiah, which could not be 
concealed, produced a corresponding elation in the 
manner of the young redcoat, and no one who 
might have seen them there w6uld have suspected 
the true relation in which they stood. 

Jeremiah was silent a moment, and then, turning 
to Jairus, said: “Come, my lad, we must get out 
o’ this. I don’t believe the little whipper-snapper’s 
told the truth, but we can’t wait to find out. We 
don’t want you,” he added, turning to the soldier, 
“but will have to trouble ye for the loan o’ that 
boat o’ yours.” 

“ What ! and leave me here alone ? ” 

“ Oh, you’ve got company. I wasn’t blind when 


l 


A PRIZE. 


1 77 

that other fellow left you here and went ashore. 
He’ll be back pretty quick, jest as soon’s he’s set fire 
to a few more widows’ houses, I suppose. I’d sarve 
ye jest right if I strung ye up on the first tree here, 
and left ye as a kind of a warnin’ to yer prowlin’ 
bands o’ redskins, and yer cowboy traitors. Yes, sir, 
I’d sarve ye jest right to do it, but I’m not one o’ 
that kind, so ye can remember yer marcies and say 
yer prayers whilst that companion o’ yours does his 
little errand. Come, Jairus, you hist the sail and 
I’ll be down and join ye in a minit.” 

^Despite the protests of the young soldier, Jere- 
miah and Jairus soon set sail from the island, taking 
with them the two guns they found on board. The 
wind was so light that for a time they were com- 
pelled to use the oars, but as long as the island 
could be seen, the figure of the young sergeant 
could be discerned upon the shore. 

“ Hold on a bit; this is too hard work,” said Jere- 
miah at last. “ The wind’s cornin’ up a little, too, 
and we’d better crawl along under that than use up 
all our strength. You take the tiller, Jairus, and 
I’ll crawl into the cabin and see if I can’t find some- 
thin’.” 

Jairus took the tiller obediently, and a moment 
later was startled by the exclamation which came 
from the cabin. Before he could leave his seat, 
however, Jeremiah appeared, and in his hands was 
a goodly portion of the supplies which Sergeant 
Richmond had had stored on board. As it had 

N 


1 78 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


been many hours now since either had tasted food, 
the sight was a welcome one, and for a time neither 
spoke, so busied were they both in the immediate 
occupation which followed. 

“ There ! that’s what I call a good oming,” said 
Jeremiah at last, pausing for a moment. 

“ A good what ? ” 

“ A good oming. Can’t ye understand the Eng- 
lish language ? A good oming, a good sign, a kind 
of a providential feeding o’ the ravens, as it were. 
No, I mean feedin’ by the ravens — Oh, you know 
what I mean. I’m glad to get them victuals. 
There ! now ye understand, don’t ye ? ” 

“Yes,” said Jairus briefly; for the lad was not 
yet ready to talk. “Yes, I know what you mean 
now, Jeremiah.” 

“ Well, neow that the cravin’s o’ the inner man’s 
been satisfied, we’ve got to settle what’s become or 
what’s goin’ to become o’ the outer man. I don’t 
feel half so scared as I did when that little popin- 
jay told his story up there on the island. It’s won- 
derful what victuals will do for a man at my time o’ 
life, Jairus. My wife’s known it, too, these many 
years, and I’m about sartain sure that Thankful’s 
right now. Victuals is wonderful things, my lad.” 

“ Why don’t you feel afraid now ? Don’t you 
think he told the truth ? ” 

“Yes, I do. He told the truth, but he didn’t tell 
the whole truth and nothin’ but the truth, that’s 
what I mean. My ’pinion is that the little upstart 


A PRIZE. 


179 


told the truth about Fort Ty, but I don’t believe a 
word o’ what he says about everybody’s havin’ given 
up. Not much!” 

“ If the fort’s got into the hands of Burgoyne, 
what shall we do? We can’t keep straight on up 
the lake. Hadn’t we better put across to the other 
side?” 

“ That’s what I’ve been thinkin’ about. Neow 
let’s see heow it looks, Jairus, my lad. If there’s 
any truth in what that little British redcoat told us, 
there’s some of the Britishers over there. Probably 
’twas only a part that took to the Green Hills. My 
’pinion is that the most o’ the crowd’s gone on up 
to Skenesborough, or maybe to Fort Edward, and 
that’s where the most o’ the trouble’s likely to be, 
right along twixt there and Albany. That’s their 
game, you know, to get us in between Johnnie and 
Clinton, and then squeeze us as I’d squeeze a cow- 
cumber between my two hands. That’s where 
they’ll want every mother’s son of us, I guess, and I 
guess, too, that that’s about where we’d better go, 
Jairus, my boy.” 

“ But how shall we get past this army ? ” persisted 
Jairus. “ I don’t just see how we’re to do that.” 

“Jest as easy as slidin’ deown hill. We’ll keep 
on up the lake as far’s we can go, then we’ll land 
and start out towards Fort Edward. We’ll take 
pains, though, to hide this craft ; for ’twould be a 
shameful waste to leave her where the redcoats 
might get her. I don’t believe you’ll ever want her, 


i8o 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Jairus; but like as not I may some day, and you 
wouldn’t feel hurt, would you, if I should claim her 
as mine ? Neow would ye ? ” 

“ Not a bit,” replied Jairus, laughing good-nat- 
uredly, as he saw the project in the mind of his 
companion. 

The “frugality” of Jeremiah was something 
which had become apparent long before this time. 
“ But,” he continued, “ I don’t jest see how we’ll get 
around the army. That’s what troubles me. If 
you know, you know more than I do. That’s all I 
can say.” 

“ Who said I didn’t know more’n you, I’d like to 
know? In course I know more’n you. Didn’t I 
tell ye I’d held ye on my lap when ye was nothin’ 
but a little squallin’ baby? That was long afore 
ye had a eye-tooth in yer head, Jairus, and I had 
two eyes and both eye-teeth, too.” 

“Yes, you’re a good deal older than I am,” said 
Jairus, “and you ought to know more. I hope you 
do, with all my heart ; for I don’t feel as if I knew 
much of anything, just at present.” 

“What? What’s that ye say? Ye’re a callin’ 
me a old man, are ye? Neow, Jairus, I’d a hardly 
thought that of ye, I hardly would. ’Tisn’t jest 
respectful like. I’m surprised at ye. Indeed, I 
am. I did hold ye on my lap when you was jest a 
baby, but I’m not a sayin’ I was so very old at the 
time, am I ? No, Jairus, I didn’t think that o’ you, 
I didn’t, indeed.” 


A PRIZE. 


“ I wasn’t thinking of your age,” replied Jairus, 
“ but of your experience. I’m sure if that young 
redcoat had felt your hand on him, he’d have 
thought his last day had come. I only wish I had 
half as strong an arm as you have, Jeremiah. It 
was just your experience I was thinking of, and 
what a good thing it was that you knew what we’re 
trying to do. If we get out of this trouble, it will 
be because you got us out. I can’t see any way 
myself.” 

“ No more ye can’t, my lad,” said Jeremiah, molli- 
fied in a moment by his companion’s words. “ I’m 
jest a tellin’ ye that I’m goin’ to get you and me, too, 
out of it, if it can be done.” 

“ How are you going to do it ? ” 

“ Well, it’s this way, ye see. It’s more’n likely 
as how old Ty is in the hands of the Britishers, and 
we want to fight shy of that. The thing for us to 
do is to land somewhere this side o’ the fort — takin’ 
good care o’ this craft in course; for, somehow, I feel 
as if I might want her again. Then I know a trail 
out to the road to Albany, and not so very far away 
is where Alec Bryan has his tavern. He’s a good 
man, Alexander is. Ever see him, Jairus ? ” 

“ No.” 

“Well, he is a good man. He keeps on a tendin’ 
to business jest the same as if John Burgoyne and 
his redcoats wasn’t within a thousand miles of here, 
as we all know that’s where they ought to be. If 
nothin’s happened to Alec, he’ll fix us all right. I 


182 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


don’t mind tellin’ you, Jairus, for you’re a pretty 
likely lad, if you did call me a old man just now, 
that Alec knows a thing or two. And one thing 
he knows is how to make the redcoats think he’s 
one thing when he isn’t that thing at all. Some- 
how, he’s helped Phil Schuyler to know something 
he didn’t know before, too.” 

“ What is he — a spy ? ” 

“ That isn’t what we call it. That’s a dangerous 
word around here. But we’d better land, I’m 
thinkin’, as the sun is most out of sight.” 

Jeremiah, who was now holding the tiller, ran the 
little boat into a sheltered cove, and soon, by the 
combined efforts of both, they stripped her of her 
sails and mast, and then hauled her up on the shore 
and concealed her within the bushes. 

The sun had long since disappeared when they 
left the spot, and, in the darkness, well aware that 
they were in the midst of many threatening dangers, 
they started through the forest in their effort to 
make their way to the tavern of Alexander Bryan. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


WHAT THE ARMIES WERE DOING. 

In order to understand some portions of this story 
soon to follow, it will be necessary for us at this 
time to return and follow the movements of the 
armies. 

General St. Clair, as we already know, had planned 
to retreat by a circuitous route when he hastily 
withdrew from Fort Ticonderoga, and join General 
Schuyler, who, with about two thousand men, lay at 
Fort Edward at that time. 

General St. Clair’s plan was good, but to plan, 
and to carry out a plan, are two very different 
matters. So while some of the retreating army 
were hastening by land towards Skenesborough, 
and others were using all their powers to escape by 
water to the same place, General St. Clair, with a 
goodly portion of his army, had been retreating 
among the Green Hills of Vermont, and in hot 
pursuit of him were General Fraser’s division and 
a band of Hessians, both of whom General Bur- 
goyne had despatched to scatter the remnants of 
the rebel army. 


183 


1 84 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


General Frasers men were in advance of the 
Hessians ; for they had started sooner and, besides, 
they had marched with more rapidity than the slow- 
moving Germans. Consequently the firing which 
Samuel Goodwin had heard early in the morning 
of the 7th of July, when he and the pompous 
young sergeant had left the British army to meet 
the Tories, who supposedly were advancing from 
Canada, had been between General Fraser’s ad- 
vanced guard and the rear guard of the retreating 
Americans. 

General St. Clair and his army had arrived at 
Hubbardton on the preceding afternoon. His men 
were in confusion, and fear was manifest on every 
side. 

Seth Warner, with a band of patriots, was at that 
time marching towards Ticonderoga, all unaware 
of the disaster which had overtaken the fort, but at 
Hubbardton he fell in with the retreating forces. 

General St. Clair hastily sent word for Colonel 
Francis, who was in command of his rear guard, to 
remain with Warner and cover the retreat of the 
main division, which now pushed rapidly forward 
for Castleton. Colonel Warner, who was then the 
commander of the forces which remained at Hub- 
bardton, very foolishly, and we may also say reck- 
lessly, halted for the night, instead of keeping 
within a short distance of the main body. How- 
ever, he caused many trees to be felled before his 
camp, and threw up such obstructions as lay within 


WHAT THE ARMIES WERE DOING. 1 85 

his power and might hinder the British if they did 
not check them, in the event of their advancing to 
attack him. 

It was early in the morning, and the Americans 
in Warner’s camp were just preparing their break- 
fast, when the pickets were driven in by the sharp 
and unexpected firing of Fraser’s men. Though they 
were completely surprised, the Americans quickly 
rallied, and then, within sixty yards of each other, 
the two bodies formed for the battle. 

The conflict at once became fierce. Colonel 
Francis seemed to be everywhere at once, and so 
conspicuous was his bravery that many of the 
British looked upon him as the commander instead 
of Warner; and great was their rejoicing when at 
last he fell, fighting bravely at the head of his regi- 
ment. 

Colonel Warner was so strongly supported that 
the British, who had advanced, as they usually did, 
thinking that the Americans would quickly give 
way before them, were driven back. They formed 
again, returned to the attack, and, charging bayo- 
nets, compelled the Americans in turn to waver. 

They, too, quickly reformed, and once more bravely 
advanced to the attack. So the issue of the battle 
wavered and swung back and forth. They were 
fighting among the trees, and the precautions 
Colonel Warner’s men had taken now became of 
great service. 

At this moment General Riedesel and his Hes- 


86 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


sians appeared, for up to this moment they had not 
been able to overtake their companions in arms. 

Quickly the Hessian general perceived that the 
Americans were moving more and more to the 
right, and would soon surround Fraser’s left wing. 
Indeed, at that very moment word came to him from 
Fraser that he was afraid his left wing would be 
surrounded unless aid should be received at once. 

General Riedesel immediately sent back word 
that he would attack the right wing of the Ameri- 
cans. He called upon his men to follow him, and 
shouting, and singing their own national airs, they 
advanced. Their appearance was formidable, their 
words were strange and unknown, and while the 
hardy troops met them with a brisk fire, they were 
nevertheless frightened by the appearance of the 
strange men. 

The Hessians did not pause, and as the Ameri- 
cans saw that they themselves were almost sur- 
rounded now, and soon would be entirely so if they 
remained in their present position, they ceased from 
their firing and began a hasty retreat. 

Twelve cannons were left behind them in their 
flight, but something of far greater value than the 
dozen pieces of artillery was left behind also : for 
the Americans had lost in the battle of Hubbardton 
three hundred and twenty-four men. The British 
loss was one hundred and eighty-three, but among 
them were seventeen of their best officers. 

The victory had cost the British dearly, and they 


WHAT THE ARMIES WERE DOING. 187 

hardly knew what to do with it, after it had been 
won. For three hours the eight hundred frontiers- 
men had held the picked soldiers of Burgoyne’s 
army in check, and had it not been for the timely 
arrival of the Hessians, Fraser in .all probability 
would have been taken. Besides all that, as the 
Hessians advanced, the Americans had no means 
of knowing how many there were of them, and 
perhaps fancied the entire army of Burgoyne was 
coming. Their ammunition was now gone, and 
they had no medicine or shelter for their wounded. 

Meanwhile, as we know, the British were chas- 
ing the little flotilla of the Americans up the lake 
towards Skenesborough. With a few shots of their 
cannon, they had broken the great chain which the 
Americans had stretched across the water, and 
the boom and bridge had also been destroyed. The 
passage was then clear, and with the wind in their 
favor the British sailed up Wood creek and by 
afternoon had overtaken the flotilla at Skenesbor- 
ough. 

Some of Burgoyne’s men had meanwhile landed 
at South Bay, and were doing their utmost to cut off 
the retreat of the forces by land, then to destroy 
Skenesborough and prevent them from making 
their way to Fort Anne. While the Americans on 
land moved too rapidly to permit this to be done, 
the British frigates, having now come up, over- 
powered the galleys, and two of them soon sur- 
rendered, while three were blown up. 


1 88 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


In despair of being able to make a stand against 
their enemy, the Americans set fire to their posses- 
sions at Sk'enesborough, and after having destroyed 
what would not burn, began another retreat, this 
time towards Fort Anne. 

Word of the dual disaster — the loss at Hubbard- 
ton and the destruction of Skenesborough — was 
brought at the same time to General St. Clair, who 
had pushed on and halted at Castleton. 

The general was sadly troubled, we may be sure. 
His soldiers were discouraged, cowed, and inclined 
no longer to obey their leaders ; for their confidence 
in them was fast passing away. The direct road to 
Fort Edward, where he was to join General Schuy- 
ler, had now also been cut off. 

Desertions followed, but General St. Clair pressed 
on as best he could, and advancing by the way of 
Rutland, Manchester, and Bennington, he succeeded 
at last in gaining Fort Edward, and joining Schuy- 
ler’s forces on the 12th of July; but he brought 
with him only about half of the men he had led from 
Fort Ticonderoga. Colonel Warner’s men had not 
joined him either, but after having rallied his little 
band as best he could, the leader at last brought 
them to Bennington, where he halted. 

General Burgoyne was now acting promptly, and 
had he displayed the same energy throughout his 
campaign, this story and the American Revolution 
might have had a far different issue. Success be- 
yond his highest hopes had been his, but the success 


WHAT THE ARMIES WERE DOING. 1 89 

was too easily won, and it was not long before the 
British general began to think his forces invincible, 
all the Americans cowards, and that nothing could 
now hinder his march to join Clinton. Much of 
this, however, belongs to a later portion of this 
story, and must be passed over at this time. 

As soon as Burgoyne gained possession of Skenes- 
borough, in order to increase the terror which he 
believed his success already had produced among 
the scattered people of the region and to cut off as 
many as possible from gaining Fort Anne, he or- 
dered a regiment to proceed towards that fort. 

The regiment had not gone far before it overtook 
and captured some boats on which women, children, 
and some of the stores had been placed. These 
fell easily into their hands, and the regiment did 
not halt until it had arrived within a quarter of a 
mile of Fort Anne. 

Here a man joined them whom the colonel re- 
ceived as a deserter from the Americans, little 
dreaming that he was not a deserter, but a spy. 

The stranger reported that the fort had a strong 
garrison ; so the valiant colonel halted his veterans, 
and sent back for reinforcements. 

The “ strong garrison ” in the fort consisted of 
five hundred men, many of them ill or wounded, 
and in no condition either to make or resist an 
attack. But Colonel Van Rensselaer and Colonel 
Long, who were in command, having been stationed 
there by General Schuyler himself, were not men to 


190 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


give up easily, and having learned from the “ de- 
serter,” who had now returned and reported the 
exact condition of affairs in the British camp, 
they quickly decided to do the attacking them- 
selves. 

The plans were carefully formed, and early on the 
following morning (the 8th of July) Colonel Long 
and his men suddenly burst forth from the fort and 
attacked the British in front; while Colonel Van 
Rensselaer and his men, passing through the woods 
around the left flank of the British, at the same 
time rushed upon them. 

Shouts, shots, and calls were mingled, and the 
startled British quickly fled for refuge to the top of 
the hill, but the Americans pressed steadily on after 
them. For two hours the engagement continued, 
and the Americans steadily were gaining, when 
suddenly it was learned that their ammunition had 
given out. 

At the same time a band of Indians, yelling and 
brandishing their tomahawks, rushed forth from the 
woods. The combined misfortunes were too much 
to be borne, and the Yankee colonels speedily de- 
parted, — after having also learned that a large body 
of reinforcements for the British was on its way 
from Burgoyne, — and safely made their way to 
Fort Edward. 

The British, having ascertained that the fort had 
been abandoned, soon withdrew, and returned to 
the main army, and a few days later the Americans 


WHAT THE ARMIES WERE DOING. 191 

again occupied the fort, or rather what there was 
then remaining of it. 

A stretch of sixteen miles lay between Fort Anne 
and Fort Edward. Swamps and hills abounded ; 
and the few roads were rough and in places well- 
nigh impassable. General Schuyler at once pro- 
ceeded to increase the difficulties of Burgoyne in 
moving his forces. 

Had the British general continued to act with 
the energy and promptness he had displayed up to 
this time, doubtless all of Schuyler’s efforts would 
have been useless. 

As it was, however, he caused the roads to be 
dug up in places and obstructed; he threw great 
rocks into Wood creek, so that vessels could not 
pass up it ; he destroyed what bridges there were ; 
he felled trees directly across the roads in such a 
manner that their branches interlocked and made 
almost an impenetrable wall ; he opened trenches, 
and, in fact, did so many things of a similar nature 
that the British general was troubled on every side. 

His own inclination now was to delay, and his 
soldiers did not murmur; for the wilderness was 
difficult for them to act in. At the time when Gen- 
eral Schuyler increased their troubles after the man- 
ner we have described, their efforts were all required 
in other directions. Still, it is now known that had 
Burgoyne then pushed steadily forward, he probably 
could have made his way successfully to Albany 
and joined Clinton. 


192 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


His labor for a time now consisted in removing 
the obstacles which Schuyler had placed in his 
pathway. He had to build more than forty bridges, 
one of which was over a swamp and more than two 
miles in length. 

In addition to all this, he delayed, and gave the 
Americans time to assemble and concentrate their 
forces, while he sent Colonel Baum and a detach- 
ment of Hessians to Bennington, to scatter the 
rebels and seize the stores which he had heard had 
been collected there. 

General de Riedesel strongly opposed the plan, 
and even begged that the men should be sent by 
the way of Castleton, when he saw that Burgoyne 
was determined upon the movement. 

Again the British general made a mistake ; for 
had his men fallen upon the rear of the Americans, 
doubtless they would have won. 

But Burgoyne would listen to no words of advice. 
Confident that the Americans could not, or would 
not, stand before his troops, and that many of them 
would flock to his standard, he insisted upon carry- 
ing out his plan, and Colonel Baum and the Hes- 
sians were ordered to march to Bennington. 

The Hessians, besides being unfamiliar with the 
country and with the frontier methods of fighting, 
were not well equipped for the service. They wore 
high and heavy jack boots on which there were 
long spurs, stiff leather breeches, gauntlets that 
came well up on their arms, and huge hats over 
which waved a great plume of feathers. 


WHAT THE ARMIES WERE DOING. 1 93 

By their sides trailed great broadswords ; short 
but heavy carbines were slung over their shoulders, 
while down their backs hung their long queues. 
Surely while many of the Americans could boast of 
no uniforms, their condition was much better than 
that of soldiers equipped as were these Hessians for 
a march through the forests, and for an engagement 
on a warm summer day. 

Such, then, was the true condition of affairs in 
the two armies ; but as the days passed it was long 
before Jairus or Jeremiah learned of it, and as for 
Samuel Goodwin, weeks passed between the reports 
of the muskets, which he and the pompous young 
sergeant heard when they left Fraser’s army near 
Hubbardton, and the time when again the move- 
ments of either the British or the American armies 
were known by him. 

And General John Burgoyne up to this time had 
steadily and easily carried everything before him. 
What success attended his future efforts must be 
related in the chapters which follow. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


Samuel’s return. 

It was late in the afternoon when young Samuel 
Goodwin and the youthful sergeant came close to 
the New York shore of the lake. Theirs had been 
the only boat seen during their voyage, and the 
sounds of the musketry which they had heard, when 
they hurriedly left the British army near Hubbard- 
ton, had been the only tokens of the terrible strug- 
gle which was going on in that region. 

And Samuel was sadly troubled. It was true 
that for the time being he had left the British army, 
but there was little to cheer him in the prospect. 
He knew that already many of those scattered set- 
tlers in Vermont, who dwelt west of the mountains, 
had yielded to the pressure of the British and to 
their own fears, and while they had not openly 
espoused the cause of the king, had nevertheless 
taken the oath of allegiance to the crown and had 
thereby ceased to be friendly to the cause of the 
colonies. 

Burgoyne’s proclamation had also had its influ- 
ence, and many who in their hearts had no love for 


194 


SAMUELS RETURN. 


195 


the redcoats had come to look upon the struggle 
as practically ended. Raw recruits and rough men 
of the frontier would make but a poor showing 
against the well-trained and better equipped forces 
of General Burgoyne, so they thought, and so 
Samuel Goodwin was beginning to believe. Cer- 
tainly, the stand which St. Clair had made at old 
Fort Ty was not very promising, and if that could 
be considered as a sample of the bravery of the 
Continentals, the result of the campaign would not 
long be left in doubt. Practically without the loss 
of a man, the British had swept the lake, gained 
the fort, and seized the most of its equipments and 
stores. 

Added to all this was the thought of his mother. 
Where she now was, he did not know. The bands 
of prowling savages, the pathless forest, the want of 
food and protection, were only too familiar to him, 
and the gloom which surrounded the lad was not 
dispelled as the little boat made its way slowly 
across the lake under the gentle breeze which just 
rippled the surface. 

“You don’t seem to be very eager to see your 
father,” said the young sergeant at last. 

“ Don’t I ? ” replied Samuel, striving to rouse 
himself to a display of some interest. “Well, per- 
haps I don’t, that’s a fact. But somehow I can’t 
get the sound of those guns over by Hubbard ton 
out of my ears. I can almost see the men falling 
on every side.” 


196 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ Pooh ! they’re only the rebels falling, and you 
needn’t waste any sympathy on them. If it was 
our side, you might feel that way, but it’s only the 
rebel Yankees, that’s all.” 

“ That’s enough,” replied Samuel. “ If you had 
some of your own friends there, you might sing a 
different tune. For my part, I wish the whole thing 
was over.” 

“ It’ll be over soon enough, never you fret your- 
self about that. I fancy it’s pretty much over now, 
for that matter. I don’t see what they wanted to 
send us off on this wild-goose chase for, anyway. 
We don’t need any more help, with all due respect 
to your paternal relative. I think we could have 
made out to get along very well without his valuable 
aid.” 

Samuel thought of the eagerness the young ser- 
geant had displayed to hasten to the boat, at the 
time when the sound of the guns had been heard 
in their rear; but he was playing a part now, and 
must not forget himself. 

Accordingly he made no reply, but as he per- 
ceived that they were running close inshore, he 
became interested as he recalled one after another of 
the familiar spots. He and his brother had fished 
together in this part of the lake, and paddled up 
and down it in the light little canoes they had ob- 
tained from the Indians. Only a step back from the 
shore was their home. How he and Jairus had 
worked together there ! The sheep-pen had been 


SAMUELS RETURN. 


197 


built by them, and they had felled the great trees, 
made potash of their ashes, and had tilled the little 
clearings, in their eagerness to gain a home for 
themselves and their widowed mother. But all that 
was past now. The home was broken up. His 
mother had disappeared, and where his brother 
Jairus was, was only a matter of conjecture. 

Rousing himself by an effort, he turned to his 
companion as he said : “ I think this island’s a good 
place to spend the night on. Let’s land here.” 

“What do we want to land for? Why can’t we 
just keep on all night? We’ll get word to your 
father up at St. John’s all the quicker, and can 
then come back to the army. I don’t want to lose 
all the fun. I suppose I feel differently from you 
about this matter, but you know an officer can’t 
think of himself alone.” 

“ I know that’s so, Sergeant, but I know this lake 
too. There’s a chance of striking a rock, and be- 
sides all that, there may be some of the Indians in 
the woods here, who wouldn’t always stop to inquire 
whether you were Sergeant Richmond or not ; or 
whether you were a rebel Yankee or a redcoat.” 

“ That’s so. That’s so,” replied the sergeant 
quickly, although Samuel could not determine 
whether it was his reference to him as an officer, 
or his incidental mentioning the possible presence 
of the Indians, that induced him to acquiesce in 
his suggestion so readily. 

At his companion’s suggestion, Samuel now took 


98 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


the tiller, and in a few moments the little cat-boat 
was grounded on the pebbly beach, and drawn up 
on the shore. The lad had already formed a plan 
in his own mind, but he knew the present was no 
time for its execution ; so he soon joined the young 
sergeant and made a hearty supper upon the pro- 
visions with which the boat had been well sup- 
plied when they set forth from the Vermont 
shore. 

The sun had long since disappeared. No fire 
had been kindled, for Samuel had explained that 
it might attract the attention of their enemies, and 
the sergeant had made no protest. The air of the 
summer night was soft and balmy, and the rough 
music of the frogs and the occasional call of some 
night bird were all the sounds that disturbed the 
silence. 

Behind them rose the great shadows of the moun- 
tains, while the lake lay as smooth before them as 
if it had been of glass. The scene was depressing, 
however, in spite of its peaceful appearance, and for 
a time neither of the young soldiers spoke as they 
remained seated by the shore where they had had 
their supper. 

Samuel’s thoughts were not idle, however, and at 
last he broached the project which had been in his 
mind ever since they had approached the New York 
shore. 

“ We’ll want to put out early in the morning, and 
ought to reach my uncle’s — I mean my father’s — 


SAMUEL'S RETURN. 


199 


before night. We can do it if we have any wind 
at all, and nobody interferes with us.” 

“Yes, we want to make an early start. I wasn’t 
in favor of stopping at all, but as you’re the pilot, I 
suppose I must. Don’t you think we’d better go 
on now ? ” 

“ No, no,” said Samuel quickly. “ I’ll tell you 
what I want to do. Before you’re awake to-morrow 
morning, I want to take the skiff and go ashore. I 
know this spot where we are, and right in back from 
the shore my mother — my uncle, I mean — lives. 
N'tw I’ll run up there, and if anybody’s at home, I 
can find out, and it may be my uncle himself will be 
there. I know he does come there often.” 

“You say your uncle lives back there in the 
woods ? ” said the young sergeant, sitting upright at 
once. 

“Yes,” replied Samuel, “not over a quarter of a 
mile back from the shore, I should think.” 

“ Well, then, why in the name of common sense 
don’t we put straight for there now? We’ll have a 
place to sleep in, and it may be they’ll need our pro- 
tection. They’re straight royalists, aren’t they ? ” 

“ Oh, they’re all straight enough, no doubt about 
that,” said Samuel hastily, detecting at once the fear 
of his companion to pass the night on the island. 
“ But you see I’m not sure anybody’s there. In 
times like these no one knows but they may 
have put out for safety. Then, too, the place is 
right by the trail from Schroon lake to Canada, and 


200 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


I don’t want to run the risk of having an Indian 
send his tomahawk at me in the dark. However, 
if you want to go, I’ll not say a word.” 

“ No, no,” protested the officer in His Majesty’s 
army. “ We’re all right here. Do you think it will 
be safe for you to go up there in the morning ? 
Perhaps we’d better not wait, but start right out.” 

“ Perfectly safe. Perfectly safe,” said Samuel, 
rejoicing as he saw the effect of his own suggestion. 
“ I’ll go up, and you can expect me to be back before 
you’re fairly awake. If you don’t mind, I think we’d 
better turn in now; for I confess I’m pretty well 
tired out, with all we’ve had to go through. It’s no 
light piece of work, this chasing the Yankees. They 
can run if they can’t do anything else.” 

“ That they can,” laughed his companion. “ I’m 
ready to turn in. The only thing I had thought of 
was that it might be a good thing for one of us to 
stand guard. Still, I don’t know that it’s necessary.” 

“ We’ll crawl back into the bushes, and we’ll both 
be on guard somewhat, I’m thinking,” replied 
Samuel. 

The boys took their blankets from the boat, and 
withdrawing within the shelter of the trees, soon 
stretched themselves upon the ground. 

The youthful sergeant was soon asleep, but to 
Samuel no sleep came. He was so near his home, 
and was so eager to see it once more, that it was 
difficult for him to wait for the morning to come. 
However, the very means he had employed to 


SAMUELS RETURN. 


201 


arouse the fears of his companion were not without 
weight in his own mind. The visit of the Panther 
to the sheep-pen and passage of the Indians he had 
witnessed from the hiding-place in the tree, came 
back in his thoughts now, and in spite of his eager- 
ness, he was content to await the coming of the 
morning before making his attempt. Not much 
sleep came to him that night. His missing brother 
was often in his thoughts, and the many sad 
troubles of his mother could not be forgotten. The 
very silence of the night was oppressive, and it was 
with a feeling of relief that at last he perceived the 
coming of the dawn. 

The lad made his way down to the shore with- 
out disturbing his companion, who was still sleeping 
soundly, and as he approached the boat a new 
suggestion came to him. Should he take the skiff, 
or both the skiff and the boat? His companion 
then would certainly be unable to make any re- 
port of his failure to return ; for Samuel had no 
thought of coming back to the pompous young ser- 
geant. He had had quite enough of his company 
already. 

He hesitated a moment, and then concluded to 
leave the boat and take only the skiff. Had he 
known the purpose for which the boat would be 
used that very day, doubtless he would have done 
very differently. 

He quickly set out in the skiff, and it was not 
until he had arrived at the shore that he remem- 


202 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


bered that he had left one of the guns in the boat. 
He certainly ought to have taken the sergeant’s 
as well as his own, he thought, but he was now on 
shore, and was so eager to go up to his home that 
all other things for the moment were ignored or 
forgotten. 

The lad had not seen the weather-beaten face of 
an old soldier who had peered from behind a tree 
and watched his departure from the island, nor if 
he had seen him would he ever have dreamed who 
the old soldier’s companion was. So close often- 
times do we come to the very things we most desire, 
and yet our eyes fail to see, and our ears to hear. 

Samuel was not thinking of these matters as he 
hastily landed and started swiftly up the rough 
pathway. How many times he had been over it 
before, and how familiar the very trees of the forest 
were ! And not far away was his home. Perhaps 
his mother might be there now ! 

Filled with the thought, he increased his speed 
and soon came to the place where the house had 
stood. Where it had stood, for now it was standing 
no longer. With a cry of astonishment Samuel 
stopped and looked before him. Only a pile of 
ashes and charred timbers stood where the house 
had been. 

Swiftly, then, the lad ran forward and stopped by 
the ruins. It could not be true ! Still, there were 
the ashes and the rude foundations of the house. 
He turned and looked about him as if he half ex- 


SAMUELS RETURN. 


203 


pected to see the savages who had done the deed ; 
for Samuel at once concluded that the Indians must 
have been the guilty ones. But no one was within 
sight. The soft yellow light of the rising sun was 
streaming through the forest. The squirrels were 
darting about the branches, and the air was filled 
with the songs of the early birds. But the ruins 
of the house were all that remained to show that 
the eye of another human being had ever looked 
upon the spot. It did not seem to him possible 
that such misfortune could come, and yet come it 
had. And perhaps his mother, and it might be his 
brother also, had been burned in the burning home. 
There were moments when the tears came into his 
eyes, and then again his eyes would be dry and hard, 
and he felt as if something was holding his throat 
in a tight grasp. 

All this, however, did not prevent him from con- 
tinuing his investigations, and for a half-hour he 
searched about the ruins, half expecting and half 
fearing to find something which should indicate the 
fate which had befallen his mother. But his search 
was unrewarded, and the mystery still remained. 

Suddenly Samuel thought of the sheep-pen, and 
started directly towards the place. He had no ex- 
pectation of finding anything there to aid him, but 
in his bitter disappointment and grief he followed 
the first suggestion that came to his mind. In a 
few moments the ruins of the sheep-pen were before 
him. 


204 


TWO YOUNG PA TRIO TS. 


Here, however, a new light appeared ; for from 
some of the ashes a little curl of smoke was still ris- 
ing, and he knew that the marauders could not have 
been gone long. He glanced hurriedly about him, 
but only the trees of the forest could be seen. The 
pen must have been burned after the destruction of 
the house, he instantly perceived, for these were 
the only ashes which were still smouldering. 

For a time he still remained and walked about 
the clearing, like one bereft of his mind. He 
dimly realized that by remaining there he might be 
a target for some unseen enemy, concealed, it might 
be, behind some tree ; but he was not thinking of 
himself, or of his own danger. It was his mother 
now. The house had been burned, and it was more 
than probable that his mother was no more. 

Suddenly, as he glanced again along the trail that 
led through the forest, he thought he perceived 
something moving in the distance. In an instant 
he thought of the hiding-place in the tree which he 
and Jairus and Arthur had made. His heart, in 
spite of his grief, became hard as he remembered 
his cousin, but not hesitating a moment, he quickly 
climbed the tree and gained the resting-place, which 
had been undisturbed, and he thought probably un- 
discovered. Once there, he waited in breathless 
suspense to learn whether his eyes* had deceived 
him or not. 

As the minutes passed, the lad could almost hear 
the beating of his heart. The morning sun was 


SAMUEL’S RETURN. 


205 


climbing higher now and giving the promise of a 
warm day, but Samuel Goodwin was thinking of 
other things, and the sun and the heat were both 
forgotten. 

He had almost concluded that his eyes had de- 
ceived him, when suddenly two men stepped forth 
into the clearing and approached the ashes ; and 
the lad, now breathing hard and thoroughly fright- 
ened, peered down upon the strangers. 

One of them was clad in a brown tow-shirt and 
rough-looking trousers, but he was barefooted. 
Over his broad shoulders were hanging his shot- 
bags and powder-horns, the latter plainly having 
corn-cob stoppers. He carried his rifle in his hands, 
and as he approached, his whole bearing indicated 
the possession of great physical strength. 

His companion wore a hunting-shirt and his 
leggings were trimmed with fur, while his feet were 
shod with moccasins. He, too, carried a rifle, and 
the trembling Samuel, even in his excitement, per- 
ceived that it had two barrels. He had never seen 
or heard of such a thing before, but his attention 
was speedily drawn to the man’s hunting-shirt. 
Some words had been worked upon it, and at first 
he could not decipher them. Soon, however, he 
made them out, and as he read the words “ Liberty 
or Death,” his own feeling of alarm at the sight 
of the short, broad-shouldered, powerful man was 
greatly increased. 


CHAPTER XIX. 


A TOILSOME JOURNEY. 

The two men advanced cautiously towards the 
ruins of the sheep-pen, each holding his rifle in 
readiness for use, and glancing keenly about them 
as they approached. Apparently the sight of the 
still smouldering ashes troubled them ; for they care- 
fully examined the ground, evidently searching for 
something which might furnish a solution to the 
problem. 

As soon as they had finished their examination, 
they stood together and conversed for a few mo- 
ments in such low tones that the listening Samuel 
was unable to hear anything that was said. Their 
hesitation lasted but a moment, for they soon turned 
and followed the path which led towards the house. 

Greatly relieved by their departure, Samuel’s first 
thought was to descend from his hiding-place and 
start at once for the forest ; but the fear of the re- 
turn of the strangers, and his own detection, held 
him back, and he concluded to wait a little longer 
in his place of concealment, which thus far had 
escaped their notice. 


206 


A TOILSOME JOURNEY. 


207 


The lad had no means of knowing who or what 
the strangers were, but in his present state of alarm 
every man to him might be an enemy. Those 
strange words on the shirt of one of them — 
“ Liberty or Death ” — were certainly suggestive, 
and while there was nothing in them to indicate to 
which side the man who bore them belonged, it 
never once entered his mind that he could be a 
friend. They were both rugged-appearing men 
whom he did not wish to meet, and the fact that 
one of them was barefooted and the other carried 
a rifle with two barrels did not increase his feeling 
of confidence. Doubtless they were “ cowboys,” as 
many of the marauding Tories were called, and 
Samuel soon concluded that his best plan was to 
remain where he then was. 

When a half-hour had passed, however, and 
nothing more was seen of the two strangers, he 
cautiously and slowly descended the tree, still retain- 
ing the gun he had brought from the boat, and stood 
for a moment by its base, listening intently and peer- 
ing keenly about him. 

Satisfied that no one was within sight, he made 
his way across the little clearing towards the sheep- 
pen. A little curl of smoke was still rising from 
one spot in the ashes, and as the lad waited a 
moment a flood of bitter thoughts swept over him. 
How cruel and needless the whole struggle was ! 
What had he ever done to have brought upon him 
and his mother such wanton destruction ! He 


208 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


thought of the retreat from Ticonderoga, and again 
he could hear the sound of the guns over by Hub- 
bardton. And what was the cause of it all ? 
Nothing but the obstinacy of certain men who 
ought to have been friends, but who had shown 
themselves in anything but a friendly light. Surely 
the iniquities of the guilty were visited upon the 
innocent. And was the struggle worth what it was 
costing ? Thousands of lives already had been sac- 
rificed, many homes had been made, desolate, and 
losses beyond his power to compute already had 
been the portion of the brave-hearted Continentals. 
Samuel was not thinking of his country. Indeed, 
he hardly knew whether he had a country or not ; 
for his own heart was hot within him at the thought 
of the sorrows which had multiplied and swept over 
him of late. His mother — where was she? And 
Jairus had disappeared as completely as had his own 
home. Surely, all this was sufficient, he thought, to 
make any lad feel as if he were living in sad times, 
and none of us, in the larger light which has since 
come to us, can find it in our hearts to blame him. 

All these thoughts had passed through his mind 
very quickly ; for Samuel Goodwin was not one to 
linger and bemoan his misfortunes at a time when 
prompt action was required. He lingered but a 
moment by the ruins of the sheep-pen, which lay 
directly in his path to the forest, and then turned 
sharply and was about to dart into the woods, when 
his heart suddenly almost seemed to become still. 
















































■■ 






































it 


WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” 


A TOILSOME JOURNEY. 


209 


Returning from the house, and only a few rods 
distant and in plain sight, were the two strangers. 

Samuel’s first impulse was to run even then, but 
a sharp call from one of the men made him think 
better of it, and with many forebodings of evil, he 
waited for them to approach. 

“ How now ? Who are you ? What are you 
doing here ? ” 

It was the barefooted man who spoke, and while 
his voice was sharp and suspicious, Samuel thought 
it was not unkind. He made no reply, however, 
and the two men halted directly in front of him. 

“ Who are you ? What’s the cause o’ this smoke 
and ashes ? ” repeated the stranger. 

“ I don’t know. I don’t know any more about it 
than you do,” the lad at last managed to reply. 

“ Come now, me lad, tell us all about it. Me 
name’s Timothy Murphy, it is that, and ye can rest 
yer sowl that not one o’ Dan’l Morgan’s riflemen 
would harm a hair o’ yer head, provided, of coorse, 
that ye spake the truth.” 

The shorter man, who carried the double-barrelled 
rifle, was the spokesman now, and as he listened to 
his words Samuel’s heart gave a great throb. Daniel 
Morgan’s riflemen ! Ah, who had not heard of 
them ? Their fame was abroad throughout all the 
colonies, and their bravery and skill had formed 
the theme of many a story. 

“ Are you one of Daniel Morgan’s riflemen ? ” 
he quickly asked. “ Do you belong to his band ? ” 


210 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ Oi do that,” replied the man. “ And this poor 
spalpeen by me side would loike to be inrolled 
there too, but he’s not up to it yit. Oi’m trainin’ 
him, that Oi am, and as sure’s me name’s Timothy 
Murphy, Oi’m thinkin’ that when he can put a moc- 
casin on his fut, he’ll be loike to be able to hit a 
side of a barn, and then Dan’l may take him in. 
But as it is, he’s nothin’ but poor Barefut Benson 
now, and with all the toime and lamin’ Oi’m after 
givin’ him, he’s not overpromisin’.” 

“ Keep still, Tim. Let’s hear what the lad has 
to say,” interrupted Timothy’s companion. 

Then Samuel told his story. Assured that he 
was in the presence of friends, he kept nothing 
back, from the time when the band of Indians, with 
their British leaders, had appeared on the very place 
where they themselves were then standing, up to 
the time of his escape from the young sergeant and 
his return to his ruined home. 

The men both listened attentively, or, as Samuel 
thought, not without sympathy, and when at last his 
story was completed, the taller man said : “ Then 
you’ve left an officer over on the island, have you ? 
I’m afraid he has plenty of company, for we tracked 
the rascals who burnt this place down to the shore. 
I think they must have gone up the lake in canoes, 
for we lost our trail there. Well, my lad,” he added 
consolingly, “ you’re not the only one to suffer. 
There’s not much comfort in that, I know, still it 
does give a different feeling to a man to know, 


A TOILSOME JOURNEY. 


21 1 


after all, that his lot is only the common one. What 
do you intend to do now? Your mother’s gone and 
your brother’s not here. You can’t stay here, 
either.” 

“ I don’t believe I can,” replied Samuel slowly. 
“ But I don’t know what to do.” 

“ Sure, that’s all plain, as plain as the fut here of 
me friend, the cilebrated ‘ Barefut Benson.’ Yis, 
sir, it’s as plain as the fut on yer face, Oi mean the 
nose on yer fut — No, no, that’s not it. It’s as 
plain as the nose on yer face. That’s it. That’s it.” 

“ The lad’ll go back with us to Fort Edward,” in- 
terrupted Benson. “ I’m inclined to think Tim’s 
suggestion is a good one. We’ve been up around 
Schroon Lake to see if we could find any more 
signs of Indians. I should have thought General 
Schuyler had found enough, but he seems to think 
that there’s a lot more coming from the West. 
Perhaps you know that Charles de Langlade has 
brought a band of Western Indians on to help the 
redskins Burgoyne has already got around here.” 

“ No, I didn’t know,” replied Samuel. “ I only 
knew the British had got a lot of redskins, but 
that’s all.” 

“ Yes, Captain de Peyster up at Michilimackinac 
urged Langlade to get a lot of the Sacs, Sioux, 
Foxes, Menominees, Winnebagoes, Ottawas, and 
Chippewas and join Burgoyne’s army by the way 
of Montreal, and he’s done it. But Schuyler’s 
afraid more may come across the trail, so he sent 


212 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Tim and me up here on a scouting trip. We’re going 
back to Fort Edward now, and you can go along 
with us if you want to. You’ll have to take your 
chances, of course.” 

“ And do you really belong to Morgan’s rifle- 
men ? ” inquired Samuel eagerly. 

“ Timothy here does, but I don’t. Morgan 
doesn’t seem to want any but Irishmen for the most 
part, for I can’t seem to find any one in the band 
who isn’t Irish.” 

“ In coorse not,” said Timothy quickly. “ Dan’l 
Morgan is a Jarsey man himself, but he’s got good 
Oirish blood in the veins of him. When he went 
down into Varginia, he took the flower of the whole 
country to make up his band, and what should that 
be but the sons of ould Oireland, I’d be after 
knowin’ ? Still, for a barefut, this man is not bad,” 
added Timothy, slapping his companion on the 
back as he spoke. “ Me hopes of him are not all 
dead yit, though,” he continued. 

His companion smiled, as he said to Samuel : 
“ Timothy’s a dead shot, I’ll say that for him. You 
couldn’t find a better man to be with, and he’s got 
a rifle that speaks twice — the only one I ever saw.” 

“Whin ye git so that you can shoot with one, 
Oi’ll be after gittin’ you another like me own,” said 
Timothy. “ But Oi’m thinkin’ we’re talkin’ too 
much. If ye’ll take yer bare fut and start on, we’ll 
be after followin’ yez.” 

“Yes, they call me ‘ Barefoot Benson,’” said the 


A TOILSOME JOURNEY. 


213 


other man in reply to the question in Samuel’s 
eyes. “ I find I can travel faster with less noise in 
that way than any other, and there are times when 
I want to go fast and not make very much noise 
about it, either. And, after all, it’s only a matter of 
custom and habit, you know. Why should my feet 
want any more protection than my hands, or my 
face either, for that matter? But we must start 
right away now. We want to put a good many 
miles between us and this place before night. We’re 
short of rations, I must tell you that, my lad. We 
only brought a little with us, and that’s been gone 
a long time.” 

“ I don’t mind that,” said Samuel. “ I’m so glad I 
have found friends, I can do without the other for 
a day or two, if it’s necessary.” 

“ Oi’m after thinkin’ ye’ll be remoinded of it before 
we get back to Fort Edward,” said Timothy grimly. 

The party of three at once started on their return 
to the fort, and for a time Samuel had no difficulty 
in maintaining his place by their sides. Samuel 
could see now why the leader was called “ Barefoot 
Benson.” His swift pace was steadily maintained ; 
but, rapidly as he marched, the sturdy Timothy 
trudged steadily on and seemed to have no diffi- 
culty in doing so. For a time Samuel did not mind 
the effort, but as the sun climbed higher and the 
heat of the day increased, he found more and more 
difficulty in maintaining his swift pace. The per- 
spiration rolled in streams down his face. The 


214 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


pangs of hunger began to assert themselves. His 
legs ached, and his feet were soon swollen and 
sore. 

Still “ Barefoot Benson ” led on, never halting, 
except for an occasional stop to listen for sounds 
which the others could not hear. Still Timothy 
kept by his side, his short legs by their rapid 
motions seeming to be able to keep up with the 
long strides of his companion. Still Samuel, weary 
and worn, brought up the rear of the little proces- 
sion, doing his best to appear brave, and shutting 
his teeth tightly together, to prevent any sound 
escaping him. 

On and on they moved, not a word being spoken 
and both trusting entirely to the leader. And “ Bare- 
foot Benson ” led the way, apparently knowing no 
fatigue. 

The sun passed the meridian and slowly began 
to descend. The intense heat of the midday did 
not seem to abate, for the air was still, and the 
shelter of the forest afforded only a slight relief. 
Samuel was suffering severely by this time, but not 
a complaint as yet had escaped his lips. His com- 
panions seldom glanced at him, but pushed steadily 
onward, each seemingly intent upon leaving the 
region behind them as quickly as possible. 

It was now near sunset. A gentle breeze had 
arisen and afforded some relief from the heat, but 
Samuel was nearly exhausted. Every step he took 
caused him pain. His tongue was parched and 


A TOILSOME JOURNEY. 21 5 

dry, and his breath came hard and fast. It seemed 
to him that he could go no farther. 

He was about to tell his companions to go on and 
leave him, and that he would do his best to fol- 
low, but rest he must have now, when the leader 
stopped. 

“ Tired, Samuel ? ” he asked. 

“ Some,” replied the lad, almost gasping as he 
spoke, and yet striving even then to conceal his 
weakness. 

“ ’Twas a goodly pace, and you have done well. 
Now, we’ve got to settle our plans for the night,” 
he added, turning to Timothy as he spoke. “ Shall 
we keep on, or wait for the morning before we 
start ? ” 

“ Indade, and that’s fur ‘ Barefut Benson ’ to say. 
Timothy Murphy’s ready for either.” 

“ I’ve seen some signs of Indians,” said Benson 
anxiously. “ If I was alone, I’d keep on, but I don’t 
want to take you two into any unnecessary danger. 
I don’t just know what to do.” 

“ Don’t do it, then,” said Timothy. “ That’s what 
me ould mither used to say to me; says she, ‘ Tim- 
othy, me lad, ye’re the light o’ me ould eyes, that ye 
are. Now, Timothy, whiniver ye can’t tell what to 
do, don’t yez do it, me lad.’ And Oi think she was 
corrict, rist her blissed sowl.” 

“ Very well, we’ll turn in here for the night. But 
we’d better separate. You and Samuel go on about 
ten rods and lie down in the grass, and I’ll turn in 


21 6 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


here. If the redskins find us then, they’ll only find 
us one at a time. It’s almost dark now, so we’d 
better turn in at once, for we may want to start 
early in the morning. Good night to you both.” 

Benson at once stretched himself upon the ground 
in the tall grass which was growing there, and Timo- 
thy and Samuel immediately followed his directions, 
and going a few rods farther on, also lay down in 
the rank cool grass, which entirely concealed them. 

Samuel soon knew from the sounds that his com- 
panion was asleep, but it was long before he could 
close his own eyes. Completely worn out by the 
exertions of the day, he was too weary to sleep. 
He thought of the young sergeant he had left alone 
on the island, and wondered if he were still there. 
He could not shut out the vision of the ruins of his 
home. The curling smoke still rose before him, 
and at times he almost fancied that he could hear 
the voice of his mother calling to him for aid. 

At last, however, the twinkling of the stars above 
him took on fantastic shapes, the murmurings of 
the night wind became more indistinct, and Samuel 
slept. 

How long he slept, he could not tell, but he was 
awakened by what he thought was the sound of 
footsteps. He listened, and the sound was repeated. 
He reached over and touched his sleeping com- 
panion on the arm, and in a moment Timothy, too, 
was awake and listening intently. 

The sound of the footsteps was repeated, and then 


A TOILSOME JOURNEY. 


21 7 


at a whispered word Samuel took his gun and began 
to creep with Timothy through the grass towards 
the place from which the sound came. As they 
came nearer, they could see indistinctly an object 
moving before them. 

“Shoot,” whispered Timothy; and the reports of 
their guns rang out together, while almost at the 
same instant the report of another gun was heard. 

A groan and the fall of some body followed. 
There was a struggle for a moment, then silence 
followed, and in the dim light both Timothy and 
Samuel crept cautiously forward through the grass 
to discover the result of their shots. 


CHAPTER XX. 


AN EARLY MORNING START. 

Jairus and Jeremiah did not advance far into 
the country on the night when they left the lake 
and the little cat-boat, which the shrewd Vermonter 
claimed as his own special prize — a claim which 
his young companion was not disposed to question 
under the existing circumstances. They both were 
so tired and worn by their recent exertions that 
when Jeremiah proposed that they should seek the 
shelter of a rude barn, which stood alone in a little 
clearing near the rough roadway, Jairus heartily 
consented ; and creeping within it they both slept 
soundly until morning. 

They had taken the precaution to bring with 
them some of the provisions they had discovered 
in the boat, and after breakfasting they resumed 
their journey in far better spirits than they had had 
on the preceding night. As neither wore a uni- 
form, their appearance attracted but little attention 
as they passed the few homes of the settlers, scat- 
tered along the road. All day long they kept 
steadily on their way, and not long after nightfall 
they arrived at the tavern of Alec Bryan. 

218 


AN EARLY MORNING START. 2ig 

Bryan was at home, and the quiet greeting he 
gave Jeremiah at once betrayed the secret under- 
standing which existed between the two. Jairus 
watched the man with more than a passing curios- 
ity ; for his companion had related so many stories 
of his deeds and daring, that his curiosity had been 
greatly excited. Nor had Jeremiah overstated the 
worth of his friend in the words of praise he had 
given him. 

Alexander Bryan was then a man about forty- 
four years of age. Born in Connecticut, early in 
life he had emigrated to Dutchess County. There 
he married and remained for a few years, and then 
under the influence of the prevailing feeling, which 
caused many of the pioneers to change their abode 
frequently, he had gone on into the region where 
our acquaintances found him. 

His house, which stood on the road leading 
northward to the wilderness and the Canadas, be- 
came a tavern, and throughout the war was the 
resort of the friends and enemies of the colonies 
alike. 

And, strange as it may seem, Bryan retained the 
confidence of both parties in the struggle, and was 
kept informed of the actions and plans of each side. 
His patriotism was well known by the American 
leaders, however, and their confidence in him was 
not misplaced, as we shall soon see. 

He was a man of striking appearance, calm and 
collected, and with a shrewd and not unkindly face 


220 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


which betokened the possession of far more than 
ordinary intelligence. 

“Well, Jeremiah,” said Bryan as the two travel- 
lers seated themselves in the “public room,” “I 
didn’t just look for to see you here now. I thought 
you were at Fort Edward, along with Schuyler and 
his men.” 

“Ye keep pretty well posted, Alec,” replied 
Jeremiah, “but there are some things ye don’t 
know. Tell me how the land lies about here. 
What’s the upshot of the retreat from old Ty? 
Any Whigs left ? ” 

“ Plenty of ’em, plenty,” replied Bryan. “ Things 
haven’t turned out just as we hoped, but we’re not 
dead yet. Burgoyne’s got the upper hold, but to 
my mind it’s a question whether he can hang on to 
it, or not.” 

“ Have many gone over to the redcoats?” asked 
Jeremiah. 

“ Yes, some. Some on ’em was scared and some 
was glad to go. It’s pretty much like some men 
who talk when they’ve got pinched or pushed pretty 
hard that they’ve lost their faith in the Almighty. 
They haven’t lost any faith, for in my opinion 
they never had any to lose. What they see is that 
they never had any. That’s the case, I take it, with 
these fellows that have gone over now, some on ’em 
scared by Johnnie’s proclamation, and some by the 
givin’ up of old Ty. That was perfectly natural, it 
seems to me, and couldn’t a been any different. But 


AN EARLY MORNING START. 


221 


what these fellows who have gone over showed, was 
that they were always on that side. It wasn’t going 
over at all. They was on that side all the time, and 
now they’ve had a chance to show it; that’s all.” 

For a half-hour the old friends conversed on the 
exciting topics of the times, and were interested 
listeners to the experiences each had to relate. 
Jairus, though he took no part in the conversation, 
was no less interested in what was said than were 
they, we may be well assured. 

“ But did Johnnie’s proclamation scare a good 
many?” inquired Jeremiah at last. 

“Yes, some, as I told ye. But a good many has 
stood firm, and like me don’t think the last end’s 
come yet, by a good deal. I’ve got something here,” 
he added; and rising, and going to a high chest of 
drawers that was standing in the room, he unlocked 
one of the drawers and taking from it a paper 
brought it back with him, and throwing it upon the 
table, said: “There! That’s somethin’ that came 
to me yesterday, never mind how. It shows that 
there’s somebody left yet who feels a little bit as I 
do, ye see, about this whole business.” 

Jeremiah spread the paper out on the table before 
him, and holding the candle in his hand so that its 
light would fall directly upon the words, read slowly 
aloud the following counterblast to Burgoyne’s proc- 
lamation : — 

“ To John Burgoyne , Esquire, Lieutenant-General 
of His Majesty s armies in America , Colonel of the 


222 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Queens regiment of light dragoons , Governor of 
Fort William in North America , one of the Repre- 
sentatives of the Commons of Great Britain , and 
commanding an army and fleet on an expedition 
from Canada ,” etc. 

“ Most High, Most Mighty, Most Puissant and 
Sublime General: — 

“ When the forces under your command arrived 
at Quebec, in order to act in coiicert and upon a 
common principle with the numerous fleets and 
armies , which all display in every quarter of Amer- 
ica the justice and mercy of your King , we, the rep- 
tiles of America, were struck with unusual trepida- 
tion and astonishment. But what words can express 
the plenitude of our horror when the Colonel of the 
Queen s regiment of light dragoons advanced tow- 
ards Ticonderoga! The mountains shook before 
thee and the trees of the forests bowed their lofty 
heads. The vast lakes of the north were chilled at 
thy presence, and the mighty cataracts stopped their 
tremendous career, and were suspended in awe at 
thy approach. Judge, then, O ineffable Governor 
of Fort William in North Britain ! what must 
have been the terror, dismay, and despair that over- 
spread this paltry continent of America, and us, its 
wretched inhabitants. Dark and dreary, indeed, was 
the prospect before us, till, like the sun in the horizon, 
your most gracious, sublime, and irresistible proc- 
lamation opened the doors of mercy and snatched 
us, as it were, from the jaws of annihilation. 


AN EARLY MORNING START. 223 

“We foolishly thought, blind as we were, that 
your gracious master’s fleet and armies were come to 
destroy us and our liberties, but we are happy in 
hearing from you (and who can doubt what you 
assert ?) that they were called forth for the sole pur- 
pose of restoring the rights of the constitution to a 
froward and stubborn generation. 

“And is it for this, O sublime Lieutenant-General, 
that you have given yourself the trouble to cross the 
wide Atlantic, and with incredible fatigue traverse un- 
cultivated wilds? And we ungratefully refuse the 
proffered blessing? To restore the rights of the 
constitution, you have called together an amiable 
host of savages, and turned them loose to scalp our 
women and children, and lay our country waste, — 
this they have performed with their usual skill and 
clemency; and we yet remain insensible of the 
benefit, and unthankful of so much goodness ! 

“ Our congresses have declared independence, and 
our assemblies, as your highness justly observes, 
have most wickedly imprisoned the avowed friends 
of that power with which they are at war, and most 
profanely compelled those whose consciences would 
not permit them to fight, to pay some small part 
towards the expenses their country is at in sup- 
porting what we call a necessary defensive war. If 
we go on thus in our obstinacy and ingratitude, what 
can we expect but that you should, in your anger, 
give a stretch to the Indian forces under your direc- 
tion, amounting to thousands, to overtake and destroy 


224 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


us; or, which is ten times worse, that you should 
withdraw your fleet and armies, and leave us to our 
own misery, without completing the benevolent task 
you have begun, in restoring to us the rights of the 
constitution. 

“We submit, we submit, most puissant Colonel of 
the Queen s regiment of light dragoons and Governor 
of Fort William in North Britain. We offer our 
heads to the scalping-knife and our bellies to the 
bayonet. Who can resist the force of your elo- 
quence ? Who can withstand the terror of your 
arms ? The invitation you have made in the cozi- 
sciousness of Christianity , your royal master s clem- 
ency , and the honor of soldiership , we thankfully 
accept. The blood of the slain, the cries of injured 
virgins and innocent children, and the never-ceasing 
sighs and groans of starving wretches in the jails 
and prison-ships of New York call on us in vain, 
whilst your sublime proclamation is sounded in our 
ears. Forgive us, O our country ! Forgive us, 
dear posterity ! Forgive us, all ye foreign powers 
who are anxiously watching our conduct in this im- 
portant struggle, if we yield implicitly to the persua- 
sive tongue of the most elegant Colonel of Her 
Majesty s regiment of light dragoons. 

“ Forbear then, thou magnanimous Lieutenant- 
General ! Forbear to denounce vengeance against 
us ! Forbear to give a stretch to those restorers of con- 
stitutional rights, the Indian forces under your direc- 
tion. Let not the messengers of wrath azvait us in 


AN EARLY MORNING START. 


225 


the field , and devastation, famine , and every concom- 
itant horror bar our return to the allegiance of a 
prince, who, by his royal will, would deprive us of 
every blessing of life, with all possible clemency. 

“We are domestic , we are industrious , we are in- 
firm and timid ; we shall remain quietly at home , and 
not remove 02ir cattle , or corn , forage , in hopes 
that you will come at of troops in the full 

power of health , discipline , #72^ valor, and take charge 
of them for yourselves. Behold our wives and 
daughters, our flocks and herds, our goods and chat- 
tels. Are they not at the mercy of our Lord the King, 
and of his Lieutenant-General, member of the House 
of Commons, and Governor of Fort William in 
North Britain ? ” 

“Gum!” ejaculated Jeremiah when he had fin- 
ished reading. “ The fellow that wrote that knew 
a thing or two. He knew how to answer Johnnie 
Burgoyne in the way to appeal straight to the 
people of the frontier ! Do you think that Bur- 
goyne himself knew enough to write his own proc- 
lamation ? ” 

“ Doubtless, doubtless,” replied Bryan. “ Why, 
he’s written three dramas, you know, and the man 
who can write three dramas and be the ‘ Colonel of 
the Queen’s regiment of light dragoons’ at the same 
time ought to be able to write such a proclamation 
as he sent out. Leastwise, so it seems to me.” 

“ Burgoyne wrote three dramas ! ” said Jeremiah 
in surprise. “ Neow, who ever heard the like o’ 

Q 


226 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


that? Why, he’s worse than I thought. I could 
forgive him for using redskins, but to write dramas ! 
Why, he must be the worst cavalier that ever lived. 
My mother raised me to hate the drama. I never 
read one in my life. I’d as soon think of celebrat- 
ing Christmas, or keeping up any other relic of 
popery, as to read a play. What dramas did he 
write?” continued Jeremiah, unable to suppress 
entirely his curiosity, in spite of the additional hor- 
ror the information that Burgoyne was the writer of 
dramas had brought. 

“ Oh, he wrote ‘ Bon Ton,’ ‘The Heiress,’ and ‘The 
Maid of the Oaks,”’ replied Bryan. “ But, Jeremiah, 
I guess ye needn’t borrow trouble over the bad 
effects of any dramas Johnnie Burgoyne ever wrote. 
They’ll never do much harm. I’ve heard as how 
they w r as put on the stage in Boston when Gage 
was there and they used to have such fearful times; 
but I guess, from what I’ve heard, that about all the 
people what went to see ’em did was laugh. No, I 
guess ye needn’t borrow any trouble over what 
Johnnie’ll do with his pen. It’s what he may do 
with his sword that troubles me just at present. 
That’s a horse of another color entirely.” 

“ I thought you said you weren’t afraid,” inter- 
rupted Jairus. 

“No more am I, my young friend,” replied Bryan. 
“ But I’ve heard as how another army is on the way 
up the Mohawk valley to join Burgoyne’s forces. 
It’s St. Leger’s, I believe, and he’s to call a lot of 


4 


AN EARLY MORNING START. 22 J 

Indians to add them to the forces he brought from 
Montreal to Oswego. Then lie’s going to take them 
all and start through the valley for Albany; and the 
plan, as I understand it, is for him to drive every- 
thing before him there, while Johnnie sweeps down 
this way, and they’ll join forces at Albany. Then 
Clinton’s to come up the Hudson and meet ’em and 
they’ll split the colonies right in two, ye see, jest as 
I’m doin’ with this apple ; and then all they’ll have 
to do will be to eat up each half as they want to.” 

And to illustrate his point, the scout split the 
apple he was holding in his hand in two portions 
and began to eat them. 

Both Jairus and Jeremiah were sadly depressed 
by his words, and for a few moments there was 
silence. The light of the candle flickered, and 
Bryan snuffed it with his fingers. Darkness had 
swept down over the land, and as Jairus glanced 
out of the little windows, the sight was one which 
seemed to reflect the feelings of all within the house. 
The report of an additional army moving through 
the Mohawk valley was entirely new to him, and, 
added to the success which had attended Burgoyne’s 
efforts thus far, seemed to dash the few slight 
hopes which yet remained in his heart. 

“ I’m tellin’ ye,” said Bryan, who was the first to 
break the silence, “ that it isn’t all over yet. I 
happen to know some things as well as others, and 
though I don’t ask for it, you know as well as I do 
that both sides are tellin’ me some things of impor- 


228 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


tance ; and I’m a tellin’ you that the end hasn’t 
come yet. A good beginning often makes a bad 
ending, and these generals of ours do their best 
when they are just put to it. Why, look at Trenton 
last winter, will ye? Who’d thought Washington 
ever could have got out of that hole, and yet he 
did get out. Now I’m tellin’ ye that Phil Schuyler’ll 
get out too ; that is, if they’ll get him a little help, 
and not nag the life out of him. Nagging is what 
kills folks, and generals, too. Yes, sir, nagging is 
worse than the plague, a hundred times worse.” 

“We’re going to join his army at Fort Edward 
just as soon as we can get there,” said Jeremiah. 

“ That’ll settle it then,” said Bryan dryly. “ If 
Johnnie hears you’ve come, he’ll turn tail in a 
hurry.” 

“We’ll do our part,” replied Jeremiah, unmoved 
by the friendly sarcasm of Alec. 

“ No doubt. No doubt,” said Bryan quickly, for 
he had no desire to hurt the feelings of his friend. 
“ But, Jerry, you know what I’m a doin’ here, and 
just the position I occupy. Now I’ve just got word 
that some of the Tories hereabouts have collected 
a lot of supplies up the creek, and that they’re going 
to take ’em to Burgoyne to-morrow mornin’. Least- 
wise, they’re going to try to take ’em ; but I have 
my doubts about their doin’ it.” 

“ Why ? How’ll you stop ’em ? What can you 
do ? ” inquired Jeremiah. 

“ Oh, some of my friends and neighbors are goin’ 


AN EARLY MORNING START. 229 

to drop in here towards mornin’, and I shouldn’t be 
in the least bit surprised if they happened to sur- 
prise these fellows on their trip, or maybe before 
they get well started.” 

“Are ye going to go yourself?” asked Jeremiah. 
“ When are ye going to start ? ” 

“ No, I’m not goin’. I can’t, ye see, because of 
the peculiar place I hold, being in the confidence 
of both sides. But my friends are going, and I 
want both of you to go along with them, too.” 

“ But we’re on our way to Fort Edward,” protested 
Jeremiah. “We want to get there just as soon as 
we can, and we ought not to stop for anything. I’d 
like to go in, but I don’t see how we can, we’re in 
such a hurry.” 

“ ’Twon’t take long. They’re goin’ to meet here 
about two o’clock, and it’ll be all over by morning. 
You’ll go in, I know.” 

After some further conversation, both Jeremiah 
and Jairus agreed to join the party. They at once 
retired to a room to get such sleep as they could, 
while Bryan promised to call them in time to join 
the company. 

It was about half-past two when the sleepers were 
summoned, and, hastily dressing, they went down the 
stairs and found about ten men in the public room. 

Few words were spoken, and in a brief time the 
band left the tavern and started through the dark- 
ness for the place in which it was known the stores 
had been concealed. 


CHAPTER XXL 


A RAID. 

Jairus had not fully shared in the confidence Jere- 
miah appeared to feel in Alec Bryan. The scout 
was a stranger to him, and he did not even know 
him by reputation — a fact not in the least strange 
when it is remembered that Jairus was but little 
more than a lad, and had dwelt far from the abodes 
of his fellows. He believed in Jeremiah, however, 
and was trying to persuade himself that his com- 
panion must know better than he as to the true 
state of affairs in the region. 

But Bryan was not to go with the little band, and 
his absence was what troubled Jairus. It was possi- 
ble that they might be led into trouble, and the lad’s 
heart was heavy when at last the door of the tavern 
was .opened and the men stole forth into the dark- 
ness. The whispered consultation within the pub- 
lic room had not been heard by him, and he was all 
uncertain as to their destination or even as to the 
direction in which they were to go. 

His thoughts were quickly recalled, and, keeping 
close to Jeremiah’s side, he followed the men as 
they made their way through the forests. The 

230 


A RAW. 


231 


great trees and the heavy shadows served to increase 
his alarm ; but he said nothing concerning his feelings, 
and steadily kept close to his companions. 

Not a word was spoken now, but the leaders ap- 
peared to be familiar with the region, and to know 
their way. For two hours the march was unbroken, 
and then a halt was called. The light of the sum- 
mer morning was beginning to appear. The songs 
of the birds filled the air, and there was that im- 
pression of damp freshness all about which is to be 
found in the forests at sunrise. 

“ It’s right over here, not more than a quarter of 
a mile away now,” said the leader. “You see,” he 
added, speaking to Jeremiah, “the spot’s a kind of 
a ravine on a little point by the bank of the creek. 
There’s a hill just behind the place, and if there are 
not many of the Tories, we can form on the hill 
and rush down and either drive them into the water 
and make them surrender, or we can call out to 
them without being seen ourselves. Much will 
depend on the lay of the land and just how many 
are there.” 

“You’re sure they’re there, aren’t you?” asked 
Jeremiah. 

“ No. All I know is what Alec said. He dis- 
covered the place and learned of the plan. In 
course, I don’t know how he learned, and I don’t 
know as I care. I’m sure Alec Bryan’s right, 
though. He doesn’t very often get fooled on such 
little things. It’s all right, I know.” 


232 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ If we’re as close as ye say we are,” said Jere- 
miah, “ I think some one had better go ahead 
and see how it looks. That’ll save us from any 
possible slip, ye see. He’d better go alone, though.” 

“ That’s a' good suggestion,” said the leader. 
“ I’ll go ahead myself. You all wait here and I’ll be 
back before ye fairly know it, and I’ll have some- 
thing to report, too, never you fear.” 

The band all yielded to the suggestion, and the 
leader speedily disappeared from sight. The men 
waited in the place where they were then standing, 
a place shielded from sight by the high bushes and 
the great trees of the forest. They seldom spoke, 
and then only in whispers, for no one knew what 
lurking enemy might be near. It was known that 
many Indians were in the vicinity, for Bryan him- 
self had said so, and more than once they had dis- 
covered signs of them on their early morning march. 

“ I wish we were out of this, Jeremiah,” whispered 
Jairus. “ I don’t like the looks of things a little bit. 
I don’t see what you wanted to stop for, anyway. 
We ought to have kept straight on for Fort 
Edward.” 

“ My lad, I’m out of the army just because I 
wanted to help ye. Now I know what I’m doing, 
and ye must wait a bit for me now. It’s only fair 
play, ye know. I want to go to Fort Edward as 
much as ye do, and ye won’t be delayed long. 
Ye must have a little more patience. Are ye 
afraid?” 


A RAID . 


233 


“ I’m afraid of Bryan. Who knows whether he’s 
all right or not ? ” 

“ I do.” 

“Well, I’ll do my best,” said Jairus; “but I’ll 
own up that I should feel better if we were some- 
where else.” 

Jairus was somewhat abashed by Jeremiah’s quiet 
rebuke, and as he knew the soldier had gone with 
him because of his regard for his dead father, he 
tried not to be unmindful of the obligations he was 
under, and uttered no further protest. 

Silence fell over the waiting band. The sun had 
now appeared, and the forest seemed to be clad in 
golden colors. The life of its inhabitants also 
appeared to have returned now, and birds and squir- 
rels were seen on every side. If it had not been for 
the presence of his companions and the fear in his 
own heart, Jairus must have felt that peace reigned 
over all; for not a sign of an enemy, or of war, could 
be seen. 

“ There he comes,” whispered Jeremiah, as he 
caught a glimpse of a man approaching through the 
forest. 

In a few moments the leader was recognized, and 
as he rejoined the band the men crowded eagerly 
about him to learn what he had discovered. 

“ They’re there and loading up,” said the leader. 
“ They’ve got five big wagons and there’s a lot of 
the stuff, too. It’s just as Alec Bryan said it was. 
He’s a man, he is, and you can’t get the best of him 


234 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


if you do get up early in the morning. But they’re 
a hard-looking crowd, that’s what they are, if some 
of ’em are my neighbors.” 

“ How many of them are there ? ” asked one of the 
band. 

“ That’s the hard part of it. I counted thirty; 
that makes odds of three to one, ye see. I don’t 
know as we had better try to drive ’em out, and yet 
I hate to give it up; and I know Alec won’t like it 
if we do.” 

“What are they doing? Are they all armed? 
How are they arranged?” inquired Jeremiah quietly. 

“ Five of ’em are on guard, and the rest are load- 
ing up the wagons. They’ll have it all done pretty 
quick, too.” 

“ Only five on guard, you say ? Of course they 
have muskets?” said Jeremiah. 

“ No doubt, and only three of us have rifles. 
Rifles don’t grow on the bushes here, and we have 
to put up with fowling-pieces. What do you say, 
men ? Shall we go back, or try to give ’em a scare? ” 

“ Oh, don’t go back ! leastwise yet a while,” said 
Jeremiah quickly. “You say there’s a hill right 
behind the point where they are ? How far is it 
from the top of it down to the creek ? ” 

“ About five or six rods, I should say. Not more 
than that, anyway.” 

“Well, then, why don’t we get together on the 
top of the hill and when you say the word we’ll 
make a break for the fellows? We can yell enough 


A RAID. 


235 


for a hundred men, and if they’ve only got five men 
on guard, and the rest are working without guns, I 
think our yells will count for enough to drive ’em 
out. You say the road goes alongside the bed of 
the creek ? ” 

“Yes; it’s a kind of a road. It’s where they’d 
have to go to carry off the stuff. I say, men, how 
do you feel about it ? Shall we give it up, or make 
a trial of what Jeremiah suggests?” 

One after another gave his opinion, and at last it 
was decided to follow Jeremiah’s plan. 

“We’ll have to get about it, then, right away,” said 
the leader, “or they’ll be off and leave us in the lurch.” 

The men quickly formed and advanced stealthily 
towards the summit of the little hill. They crept 
from tree to tree, and frequently paused to observe 
if their presence had been discovered. They were 
all determined now, and although the venture 
seemed to be a desperate one, they were resolved 
to make an attempt to drive out the Tories. Even 
Jairus had forgotten his misgivings, and as he, too, 
stealthily crept forward, his excitement became each 
moment more and more intense. The very uncer- 
tainty itself increased the feeling, for he knew noth- 
ing of the locality. 

He glanced at his companions and saw that they 
were evidently as excited as he. Only Jeremiah 
and the leader appeared to be calm, but as they led 
the way, stepping cautiously over the dead and 
fallen branches and glancing keenly about them, no 


236 TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 

one would have thought from their appearance 
that they were on such a desperate errand as the 
one in which they were engaged. 

At last the summit of the hill was gained, and, 
peering from behind the trees, the men could look 
down upon the point. The five men were on 
guard as the leader had reported, and the others 
were busily engaged in loading the wagons. No 
one was speaking, and they were evidently in great 
haste, although it also was apparent that they were 
not suspicious of an attack. 

Jairus’s heart was beating rapidly, and his breath 
came hard and fast. It did seem like a desperate 
venture, but the lad had no thought of drawing back 
now, and his suspicions of Alec Bryan were gone. 

The leader raised his hand as a signal for all to 
listen to him, and passed from man to man whis- 
pering the words : “ When I say ‘ Come on, boys ! ’ 
start every one of you, and yell as if you had the 
lungs of a dozen men. We’ve got to yell, whatever 
else we do.” 

The men nodded their heads to show that they 
understood, and the leader stopped for a moment to 
look again at the Tories below. 

They were plainly still unsuspicious of the threat- 
ened attack. The guards were leaning on their 
muskets, lazily watching their companions as they 
lifted the barrels into the wagons, or carried the 
heavy bundles from the ravine. The moment for 
action had arrived, and the leader turned and looked 


A RAW. 


237 


for a moment at his own men and saw that all were 
waiting for the signal. Every man was grasping 
his gun and crouching low, and was ready to start 
down the hillside. 

“ Come on, boys ! ” 

The leader shouted the signal, and in a moment 
a yell was heard in the forest that seemed to come 
from a hundred throats instead of from ten. As 
Jairus dashed down the hill with his companions, 
he was dimly aware that the noise was almost deaf- 
ening. He saw the leader stop and wave his arms 
toward imaginary followers yet in the forest. 

“ Come on, boys ! Come on, boys ! ” he kept 
shouting, and the rushing men before him redoubled 
their cries and whoops. Some discharged their 
guns, but the sound only added to the uproar. 

The startled Tories gave one glance at the ap- 
proaching men and for a moment stood as if they 
were spell-bound. The forests seemed to be filled 
with their enemies. Whoops, and calls, and shouts 
seemed to be heard on every side. And on the 
hillside stood a man continually shouting, “ Come 
on, boys! Come on, boys!” The woods must be 
filled with their enemies, and plainly their only safety 
lay in instant flight. 

And the flight was instantaneous. Dropping 
their bundles, the men fled swiftly up the rough 
roadway. Even the guards cast aside their guns, 
and did their utmost to keep up with their fleeing 
comrades. It seemed to them as if all of Schuyler’s 


238 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


army must be in pursuit, and that their only safety 
lay in the rapidity of their flight. 

Some of them stumbled and fell directly in the 
pathway of others, who also fell headlong over their 
prostrate forms. They cast glances of terror be- 
hind them, but the multitude of the attacking party 
seemed to increase their alarm. They hastily arose 
and dashed forward, every man apparently being 
anxious to gain the van of the strange body. Mean- 
while the shouts behind them seemed to increase, 
while that terrible cry, “ Come on, boys!” still could 
be heard above the confusion and the occasional 
reports of the guns. 

Had not the men been so terribly in earnest, the 
sight would have been ludicrous ; but no one of the 
pursuers had either time or inclination to stop and 
laugh. At any moment the true condition might 
be discovered, and then the pursuers would become 
the pursued. 

“ Let’s take after them. It’s our only hope,” said 
Jeremiah; and acting upon his suggestion, the band 
started in swift pursuit of the Tories. 

It was a desperate thing to do, and perhaps if 
they had taken time to think, they would never have 
followed. Sometimes, however, it is wise to follow 
the first impression and not stop to consider all the 
possibilities of danger; and this was one of these 
occasions. 

Still whooping, shouting, calling, and occasionally 
discharging their guns, the band started up the 


A RAID. 


239 


rough road. Occasional glimpses of their foes could 
be caught, but the Tories were doing their utmost 
to distance their pursuers, and so excellent was the 
time they made that when the chase had been con- 
tinued for the greater part of a mile, not one of them 
could be seen. 

“ It’s time for us to go back,” said Jeremiah, as the 
breathless band halted for a moment. “ I’m thinkin’ 
’twas lucky for us that these fellows got away. If 
we’d caught ’em, we’d be in about the same fix as 
a man who caught a panther by the tail. He 
couldn’t let go, and he didn’t dare hang on.” 

Jeremiah had virtually become the leader of the 
band now, and his words were quickly heeded. All 
made their way rapidly back to the point and at once 
began to examine their plunder. 

“ There are no horses here,” said Jeremiah, “as I 
can find. Those Tories must have expected them 
later. They probably were just loading up and were 
waiting for horses to come. Well, we can’t wait 
for horses, for I’m afraid the men will come back. 
It’s too bad we can’t get this stuff away, but there’s 
one thing we can do, and that is spile it for any one 
else. That’s next best to havin’ it ourselves. Come 
on, boys ! Come on, boys ! ” 

And, setting an example, Jeremiah broke in the 
head of one of the barrels of flour and quickly scat- 
tered its contents over the ground. In a moment 
all his companions were similarly engaged. The 
barrels were broken, the flour spilled over the 


240 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


ground, and the bundles of provisions were soon all 
destroyed. The work of destruction occupied but a 
few moments, and a scene of ruin lay all about them. 

“ Here’s something worth taking back with us,” 
said Jeremiah, as he returned from the ravine, which 
he had just entered to satisfy himself that nothing 
of value remained. “ Here’s some guns,” and as he 
spoke he threw upon the ground a musket he had 
found, and quickly returned to the ravine for more. 

His example here was also speedily followed, 
and in a brief time twenty-five guns were brought 
forth and cast together in a heap on the ground. 
Satisfied that there were now no more remaining, 
and that all the stores had been destroyed, the 
men assembled for a hurried consultation. 

It was quickly decided that the guns should be 
divided among the men, and that then the band 
should separate, and each man return at once to his 
own home. 

Jeremiah selected two of the best of the guns and 
gave them to Jairus, and then selecting two more, 
took them himself, and with his young friend, after 
bidding adieu to his companions, started quickly 
back towards the tavern of Alec Bryan. They met 
with no one on their way, and by the middle of the 
afternoon arrived at the place. 

The scout was not at home when they returned, 
and they seated themselves in the public room while 
waiting for his return, meanwhile talking over the 
exciting events of the morning. 


A RAID. 


241 


A half-hour had passed and the step of some one 
was heard upon the piazza. 

“ Here he comes,” said Jeremiah. 

The door was opened, but instead of Alec Bryan 
an Indian in his war-paint entered the room. He 
was an immense man and his head almost seemed to 
touch the beams in the low room. The two men 
gazed at him in astonishment, but Jairus’s mind was 
not calmed when he recognized the huge savage 
as none other than the Panther. Nor were his fears 
relieved when he saw that the recognition was mut- 
ual, and that the Panther evidently knew him. 


CHAPTER XXII. 


THE BATTLE IN THE RAVINE. 

While Samuel and his companion, the Irishman 
Timothy Murphy, were creeping stealthily through 
the grass in the dim light, they saw another man 
moving in the same direction. 

The impulsive lad was about to level his gun at 
the stranger, when Timothy quickly touched his 
arm and whispered, “ It’s the barefut.” 

Only partially convinced that the man was not 
an enemy, Samuel lowered his gun ; but they soon 
saw that it was, indeed, their barefooted companion, 
and that he was moving in the same direction in 
which they were going. Their own presence was 
discovered by Benson at about the same time, and 
he, too, might have done as Samuel had been about 
to do, for all were in a highly nervous state, had 
not Timothy suddenly arisen from his crouching 
position and, bursting into a hearty laugh, exclaimed: 
“ Be jabbers, and we kilt him entoirely. The baste 
moight have known better nor that. He’s got his 
just dasarts for cornin’ prowlin’ around any o’ 
Morgan’s band. Sarved him right, or me name’s 
not Timothy Murphy.” 




242 


THE BATTLE IN THE RAVINE. 


243 


All three were standing together now, and gaz- 
ing down upon the body of the enemy that had 
been heard stealthily approaching their hiding- 
place. Before them lay a dead buck. It was 
his steps which they had heard. Perhaps he had 
scented their presence, and had stamped his feet 
in anger or in the expectation of calling forth some 
manifestation from a foe he had suspected to be 
near. His efforts certainly had been successful 
and had awakened the sleeping men, and he had 
received the shot of all three guns. 

“ If it takes three guns to kill one deer, how 
many will it take to whip the army of Johnnie 
Burgoyne?” asked Timothy. His face now beamed 
with good nature, and as he stood before him, in 
the light of that early morning, Samuel thought 
he had never seen a man like unto him before. 

“We’ve no time to waste on your questions, 
Timothy,” replied Benson soberly. “ We must 
hasten back to Fort Edward with the information 
we have gained. We’ve seen enough to know what 
Johnson and his red villains are up to, and we must 
put forth at once.” 

“ Oi hear yez,” responded Timothy, “ but ye don’t 
mean to insist that we shall go without tryin’ to 
find a bit of somethin’ to ate. Why, Providence 
itself has sint yez yer breakfast, and ’twould be al- 
most temptin’ that same to put it by. There’s a 
cry from me sowl, though it may be from me stom- 
ach, come to think of it, which can’t be satisfied at 


244 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


all, at all, without a bit of a venison steak. Sure, 
and ye don’t mean to say we ought to be travellin’ 
before we’ve cooked a slice or two? ’Twould be 
almost temptin’ Providence, that it would.” 

“ We must wait for nothing,” said Benson sol- 
emnly, “and besides, a fire would tempt Providence 
far more than going without your breakfast, to say 
nothing of tempting the redskins we know to be 
all about here.” 

“ Oi’m thinkin’ ye’ll have it yer own way,” replied 
Timothy without losing his good nature, and not 
unmindful of the danger of kindling a fire. “Well, 
thin, the sooner we put out, the sooner we’ll git 
there. What are we waitin’ for here anyway, Oi’d 
loike to know? Why don’t we start? Oi’m just 
dyin’ to be on the way agin.” 

“We’ll start now,” replied Benson, immediately 
shouldering his gun and leading the way. 

His companions at once followed him, although 
Samuel shared in Timothy’s longing for a piece of 
broiled venison steak. But he, too, realized the 
necessity of haste and the danger that might arise 
from the smoke being seen ; and so he, too, made no 
protest. 

The barefooted leader again seemed to know no 
need of rest, and when, late in the afternoon, the 
three men arrived at Fort Edward, Samuel was so 
nearly exhausted that he felt but slight curiosity to 
look about him, at the men and defences of the 
American army. He eagerly ate the supper which 


THE BATTLE IN THE RAVINE. 


245 


Timothy prepared and then stretched himself upon 
the ground in the Irishman’s quarters, and slept as 
only a tired boy can. 

The next morning he felt greatly refreshed, and 
after breakfast looked about the place, eagerly ex- 
amining the fortifications, which to him seemed 
almost impregnable. He could not understand the 
misgivings of Timothy, who went the rounds with 
him. 

“ The gineral did the bist he could, no doubt 
aboot that,” Timothy said, “ but me name’s not 
Timothy Murphy, if such works can iver kape out 
the murderin’ ridcoats. And Oi’m hearin’ as how 
Johnnie is a coomin’ through the swamp at the rate 
of a mile a day. That manes that he’ll soon be 
furnishin’ Timothy Murphy, of Daniel Morgan’s 
dragoons, a good mark. Be jabbers, and Oi’m after 
hopin’ he can’t shoot back.” 

Great was the astonishment in the camp a little 
later when it was learned that General Schuyler 
had decided to evacuate Fort Edward and drop 
back to Stillwater. The murmurings of some of 
the soldiers almost rose into threatenings, at what 
they were pleased to call the “ cowardice ” of the 
leader. He was called a “Tory,” a “coward,” a 
“weakling”; but Philip Schuyler, true, dignified, and 
strong, bore all without a murmur. He knew then, 
what we all know now, that Fort Edward was in 
no condition to withstand an attack from Burgoyne’s 
forces. 


246 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Besides, an engagement in an open field, or 
among the trees of the forest, would give the Amer- 
icans many advantages, and such a position would 
also deprive the British and Hessians, unaccustomed 
as they were to warfare on the frontier, of much of 
their strength. 

Philip Schuyler was a sensitive man, but a man 
of noble spirit, and while doubtless he suffered 
keenly from the unjust criticisms of his companions 
in arms, his character was too strong to suffer him 
to change his purpose when he knew, as he did at 
the time, that he was acting for the best. Keen as 
his sufferings then were, they were soon to be much 
keener; for the injustice of the feelings with which 
some of the men in the camp regarded him were as 
nothing compared with the injustice with which 
Congress soon acted towards him. And of that 
we shall soon hear. 

Meanwhile we must stop to trace a few of the 
events which rapidly followed now, in each army. 
When Washington had learned of the fall of Fort 
Ticonderoga, he had quickly despatched Benedict 
Arnold to give such aid as lay within his power to 
the army in the North. 

Arnold lingered a little in Philadelphia, begging 
of Congress to give him back once more his rank, 
relative to the five men who had been promoted 
over him. This, Congress unwisely refused to do, 
and Arnold, now thoroughly angry, delayed no 
longer, but hastened at once to Schuyler. 


THE BATTLE IN THE RAVINE . 247 

His arrival was at a time when General Sfchuyler 
was suffering from fresh assaults from his own men, 
and seldom in the history of our land, or of any 
land for that matter, has a true hero suffered more, 
or more unjustly, from the ignorance and prejudice 
of the very men whom he was striving most to aid. 
Yet the noble-hearted Schuyler has not been the 
only man to suffer in that manner. From the days 
of the Nazarene, few men have tried to aid or bene- 
fit their fellows without being reviled and persecuted 
for his efforts. People complain of their surround- 
ings and conditions; and yet they dislike to be dis- 
turbed. They are prone to look suspiciously at any 
one who would lead them, thinking, first of all, that 
he has some selfish end in view. Most true men 
are in advance of their fellows, and only the later 
generations do them honor. The old couplet', 
concerning the greatest of all the poets, reads: — 

Seven cities contend for Homer dead, 

Through which the living Homer begged his bread. 

It is a great thing, as well as a good thing, for a 
man to be able to recognize the prophets, teachers, 
leaders, of his own age, and be ready to do them the 
honor which coming generations will surely offer. 

The increased perplexity of Philip Schuyler at 
the time when Arnold entered the camp, came 
about in this fashion. St. Leger, as we already 
know, had landed his forces at Oswego and was 
pushing his way up the Mohawk valley, prepared to 


248 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


unite with Burgoyne, Horn, and Clinton, all of whom, 
it was hoped, would make their way to Albany. 

Sir John Johnson with his regiment of Tories, 
known as the Royal Greens, was doing all in his 
power to aid St. Leger by stirring up the Indians to 
join him. In this he was partially successful. 

The Mohawks under their great chief, Thayen- 
danega (Bundle of Sticks), or, as he was more 
familiarly known, Joseph Brant, had rallied to the 
support of the British. Some of the Cayugas and 
Senecas also joined St. Leger, but the Onondagas, 
Oneidas, and Tuscaroras refused the offers, and even 
gave aid to the Americans. Doubtless, the influ- 
ence of the saintly missionary, Samuel Kirkland, had 
had much to do with holding back these latter tribes. 

St. Leger now had about seventeen hundred men 
in his band, and pushed his way through the forest 
until he arrived near Fort Stanwix, then on the very 
borders of civilization. It was a fort which had been 
built in 1758, on the watershed between the Hudson 
and Lake Ontario, and on the direct line of traffic 
and travel between New York and Upper Canada. 

But the Americans were not disheartened. Six 
hundred men were in the fort under the command 
of Colonel Peter Gansevoort, and down through 
the valley the German settlers were rallying under 
the standard of General Nicholas Herkimer, a man, 
at that time, sixty years of* age, and the commander 
of the militia of that vast region which was then 
known as Tryon county. 


THE BATTLE IN THE BA FINE. 249 

The garrison at Fort Stanwix had laughed at the 
demand of St. Leger to surrender; for, doubtless, 
they were not entirely ignorant of the movements 
of General Herkimer’s little army of eight hundred 
men who were marching to their relief. Indeed, 
the plan already formed was for General Herkimer 
to fall upon St. Leger’s men from behind, while the 
garrison of the fort was to advance upon them in 
front at the same time. To make sure that no mis- 
take should be made, Colonel Gansevoort was to 
fire three guns at the fort as soon as Herkimer’s 
messengers were received by him, and then the 
sturdy general was to fall upon the rear of St. 
Leger’s force, while Gansevoort’s men planned to 
keep up a firing, to hold their attention in front. 

The scheme was a bold one and shrewd, but for 
its success it depended upon there being absolutely 
no mistake made in the time of beginning the attack 
or in the cooperation of the two divisions. 

Herkimer’s messengers ought to have arrived at 
the fort by three o’clock in the morning of August 
5th, for his army was near now. But hour after 
hour passed, and the signal was not heard. 

Herkimer’s militia began to complain. They did 
more ; for they began to quarrel among themselves, 
and even to taunt the old general with cowardice. 
They did not know that the messengers were still 
two hours from the fort, nor were they aware that 
St. Leger’s active Indian scouts had already learned 
of the presence of the advancing army, and that the 


250 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


Royal Greens and Joseph Brant’s Indians were ad- 
vancing to meet them. 

Something like two miles west of Oriskany, there 
was a large, deep ravine directly across the road. 
Thayendanega at once saw what a position it was 
for an ambuscade, and soon his men lay concealed 
there, waiting with all confidence for Herkimer’s 
men to come. 

And to come, they were soon ; for the sturdy old 
general could not bear the taunts of the soldiers, 
and biting his pipe-stem in two in his anger, gave 
the word for the army to advance. 

At ten o’clock, the main body of the over- 
confident band descended into the ravine, the 
baggage wagons following them closely, while 
the rear guard was yet behind. 

In a moment there was a deafening sound of 
guns, as the Royal Greens came charging down 
from in front upon the unsuspecting men, and at 
the same time the Indians with frightful yells 
rushed in from behind and cut off the men in the 
ravine from the aid of the rear guard. 

The main body were at once thrown into confu- 
sion by the sudden attack, but they quickly formed 
in a circle, and made ready to meet the enemy, 
who entirely surrounded them. 

What a sight that was upon which the August 
sun that morning looked down ! Fifteen hundred 
men were struggling in that deep ravine. Cries, 
shouts, and screams rose on the air, mingled with 


THE BATTLE IN THE RAVINE. 25 1 

the whoops of the savages, and the reports of the 
guns. Men were fighting hand to hand. They 
slipped and slid in the mire ; they grasped one 
another by the throat ; they used their guns as 
clubs; they thrust with their bayonets. Men fell 
together, each still grasping in death the knives 
that had taken their lives. Even the worst horrors 
of war have seldom been equal to these that were 
seen in that ravine on that morning. 

General Herkimer’s horse was shot from under 
him, and he himself had his leg shattered by a ball ; 
but, taking his saddle, he placed it against a tree, 
and, seating himself there and lighting his pipe, 
he smoked and shouted his orders to his struggling 
followers. 

Soon the heavens themselves grew black. The 
heavy clouds rolled up, and rain, and lightning, and 
the deep rolls of the thunder were all added to the 
horror of the scene. The trees swayed under the 
strong wind, the rifles were soon wet and useless, 
and bayonet, and knife, and hatchet and brawny 
fist were now the only weapons. 

The Indians soon began to flee, and the Tories 
to retreat ; but, although Herkimer’s men held the 
ground, they could not pursue their enemies. 

The storm had now passed, and, with the return 
of the sunshine, the sounds of guns in the distance 
were heard. Colonel Gansevoort had at last re- 
ceived the messengers, and, at once suspecting the 
cause of the uproar he could hear in the distance, 


252 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


had sent forth Colonel Willett and his men to the 
aid of his countrymen. The Tories and Indians 
were driven back, and three times seven wagons 
were loaded with the spoils of the battle and car- 
ried, by the Americans, into Fort Stanwix. Five 
British standards, all of Sir John Johnson’s papers, 
and plans of the campaign, as well as food, drink, 
ammunition, tools, and blankets, fell into the hands 
of the victors. 

When the brave Colonel Willett reentered the 
fort, he raised aloft the five standards of the British, 
and above them he hoisted a flag which he had 
made of an old blue jacket and some strips torn 
from the red petticoat which the wife of a soldier 
had given. It is thought by many that this was the 
first time the “ stars and stripes ” were ever flung to 
the breeze — on that day of the battle of Oriskany, 
August 6th, 1777. 

It was a terrible battle. General Herkimer died 
a few days afterwards, but it is said that the sturdy 
old general, when the end came, was propped up in 
bed by pillows, and was calmly smoking his long 
Dutch pipe and reading the thirty-eighth psalm. 

Few wounded men survived the struggle ; for it 
was a fight to the death, and it is claimed that each 
side lost nearly one-third of its numbers. The Ind- 
ians soon after began to desert St. Leger, and the 
British leaders were sadly crippled; but the end 
was not yet. 

The report of the condition in the Mohawk val- 


THE BATTLE IN THE RA VINE. 


253 


ley had come to General Schuyler, and he was be- 
sought to send some aid. The brave commander 
well knew the importance of holding Fort Stanwix, 
and all the motives of humanity also combined to 
make him wish to aid his struggling comrades in 
their peril out on the border of the wilderness. 

But when he called a council of war, many of his 
own officers opposed him. He must not weaken 
their forces then, for they were in peril, too, the 
officers said. Indeed, this remark was whispered 
by one officer so loudly that Schuyler could hear it. 
He could endure the taunts of being a Tory and a 
coward, but when he heard this, he bit the stem of 
the pipe in his mouth in two, as Herkimer had 
done before him, and as it fell on the floor and was 
broken, he exclaimed : “ Enough ! I assume the 
whole responsibility. Where is the brigadier who 
will go ? ” 

The officers were sullenly silent, until Benedict 
Arnold suddenly stood up, and said : “ Here ! 

Washington sent me here to make myself useful. 
I will go.” 

The drums quickly beat to arms, and soon twelve 
hundred of the New England men, who admired 
the dash and bravery of Arnold, had offered to fol- 
low him ; and, with the man who afterwards for- 
feited his good name by his traitorous deeds, they 
left the army to go to the relief of Fort Stanwix and 
its garrison. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


A STRUGGLE WITH THE HESSIANS. 

Whatever Benedict Arnold did, he did with his 
might, mind, and strength, and when he started on 
his march through the Mohawk valley, he gave 
neither the men nor himself any rest. For seven 
days they pushed on without pausing, drawn for- 
ward by the hope of relieving their friends and 
countrymen, whom they knew to be beset by many 
perils, and cut off from aid, unless they themselves 
should bring it. But the new roads were rough, 
and the progress, in spite of all the leader’s energy, 
was slow, and when the week had passed, Arnold 
found himself still twenty miles from Fort Stanwix. 

His fear now was that the garrison would become 
disheartened at the failure of aid to come, and sur- 
render to the besieging army of St. Leger. The 
eagerness arid sympathy of Arnold’s men were of 
less value than their presence, and that was some- 
thing the garrison did not yet have, and, perhaps, 
did not know was so near. 

Arnold’s shrewd mind hit upon an expedient in 
this crisis that accomplished far more than he hoped. 


254 


A STRUGGLE WITH THE HESSIANS. 255 

A number of Tory spies had been captured in the 
march through the valley, and, among them, was a 
well-grown lad, a man in size, but who was half- 
witted. He was not entirely foolish, however; for 
his cunning had been shown already in many ways, 
and his very foolishness had made the Indians look 
up to him as one not to be trifled with. Indeed, they 
always looked upon a crazy person or a fool as one 
under the special guardianship of the Great Spirit, 
a feeling not entirely unknown, perhaps, among 
peoples who call themselves civilized ; for the out- 
landish, the strange, and the sensational are almost 
always sure of a following. 

This half-witted young Tory spy was named Yan 
Yost Cuyler, and he had been condemned to be 
hanged. It is doubtful whether Arnold really in- 
tended to carry out the sentence or not; but, be 
that as it may, it served his present purpose to pre- 
tend to be ready to do so, at any rate, and the rumor 
soon spread not only through the army, but among 
the people of the region, that Yan Yost was to die. 

Almost beside themselves, the foolish boy’s mother 
and brother, not very much better in their wits than 
Yan Yost himself, hastened into the camp and began 
to plead with Arnold to spare the life of the unfort- 
unate lad. 

The leader, for a time, pretended not to listen ; 
but, at last, apparently worn out by the pleadings, 
he said that if Yan Yost would go into the camp 
of St. Leger and do exactly as the American com- 


256 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


mander bade him, he would spare his life. The 
spy’s brother was to be detained in the camp, how- 
ever, and in case Yan Yost failed in his project, 
why then the brother was to be hanged in his stead. 

The three members of the Cuyler family eagerly 
agreed to the proposal. Arnold sent several Oneida 
Indians along with Yan Yost, who speedily left the 
American army and departed on their way. In 
Yan Yost’s coat a dozen or more bullet-holes had 
been made, and he had been carefully told just what 
he was to do and say. As it happened, that very 
day some of St. Leger’s Indian scouts had brought 
him word of the coming of a great American host, 
and while the British leaders were consulting, for 
the commander hastily called them together when 
he received the word, Yan Yost himself came run- 
ning into the camp. 

He was well known by many of the soldiers, for 
he had been a frequent visitor in the camp, and now 
the torn coat on his back, and the terror apparently 
stamped upon his face, told a story of their own. 
He was quickly brought before St. Leger, and his 
tale of his adventure with the great host of Ameri- 
can soldiers, who were near and rapidly advancing, 
was soon told. 

When the British general inquired as to the 
numbers of the enemy, Yan Yost, apparently breath- 
less, only pointed up to the thousands of leaves upon 
the trees of the forest. 

The gesture was as threatening as it was signifi- 


A STRUGGLE WITH THE HESSIANS. 257 

cant, and in a moment the rumor spread throughout 
the army that Burgoyne had been defeated and that 
the Americans were close at hand, bent upon the 
destruction of St. Leger’s forces. 

The Indians, who had remained after the battle 
of Oriskany, at once began to leave the camp. Both 
St. Leger and Sir John Johnson begged and pleaded 
with them to remain, and some did ; but they broke 
open the casks of rum and soon began to attack the 
redcoats themselves. The Tories joined in the riot, 
and all night long the scene in St. Leger’s camp 
was one that baffles description. Songs, whoops, 
cries, fights, were on every side, and when the morn- 
ing light came, St. Leger and his men hastily started 
from the camp for Oswego, leaving behind them the 
most of their stores and provisions. 

This was the opportunity for Colonel Gansevoort, 
and the little garrison of Fort Stanwix sallied forth 
to gain the spoils. Cannon, ammunition, and tents 
all became theirs. Some even kept up the pursuit 
of St. Leger all the way to Oswego, and, not alto- 
gether to their credit be it said, were aided by some 
of the very Indians who had been with the British, 
but who were quick to turn now to what they thought 
was the winning side ; and when at last the crest- 
fallen St. Leger sailed away on the lake, only a 
remnant of his army remained to go with him. 
Fort Stanwix was saved, and Arnold returned to 
the American army near the Hudson. 

Meanwhile, another event had occurred, which 


258 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


troubled Burgoyne even more than the repulse of 
St. Leger, and increased the danger which was daily 
becoming greater and threatening to overwhelm 
the boastful leader. 

Among the Green Hills of Vermont was the little 
village of Bennington. There, the patriotic country 
people had been collecting stores, horses, ammuni- 
tion, and various other necessities of war. 

Word of all this was brought John Burgoyne, who 
at once decided it would be a grand thing to disperse 
the rebels there and appropriate their possessions to 
his own use ; for the question of supplies for his army 
was fast becoming a pressing one. Accordingly, 
he sent a force of five hundred Hessians under 
Colonel Baum, and with them a hundred Indians 
and Tories, to gain possession of the stores at Ben- 
nington, and scatter the assembled rebels. Why 
Burgoyne should have sent so small a force, and one 
composed largely of men entirely unfamiliar with 
the country and the frontier methods of warfare, has 
always been a matter of surprise to some ; but the 
truth probably is that he relied upon the word of 
some of his Tory friends, who explained to him that 
the men of the region were only waiting for a favor- 
able opportunity to flock to his standard. How 
true this was, we may judge from the fact that 
Colonel Baum soon sent back for reinforcements, 
and another body, of five hundred Hessians and two 
cannon, was quickly sent forward to his aid. 

And he needed them badly; for Colonel John 


A STRUGGLE WITH THE HESSIANS. 259 

Stark was in command of the militia at Bennington, 
one of the bravest men of the Revolution. Already 
he had taken an active part in the battles at Bunker 
Hill, Trenton, and Princeton, but he too, like the 
leader of the Americans in the expedition for the 
relief of Fort Stanwix, had not received the promo- 
tion he thought he deserved, and had gone back 
home to Vermont to have nothing more to do with 
the war. 

The approach of Burgoyne’s army, the danger 
that threatened, and the care of the militia that 
quickly assembled, soon brought him out again ; 
and declaring now that he would not take orders 
from any man, he accepted the position of leader. 

Colonel Seth Warner and his brave men, who 
had fought so well at Hubbard ton, soon joined him, 
and, daily, recruits came to his camp. 

The Hessians had begun to throw up entrench- 
ments along a shallow little stream known as the 
Walloomsac. The rain fell in torrents while the 
sturdy Germans were working, and John Stark 
smiled grimly ; for he knew the next morning would 
disclose the plans he had in mind. 

During the night more New England men joined 
Stark’s forces, and in the morning the storm had 
ceased. It was a hot, sultry August day, not the 
best kind of a day for a struggle, but far worse for 
the Hessians than for their enemies. The morning 
passed and the attack was not begun, but the men 
were not idle. The New England farmers, in small 


26 o 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


squads or divisions, were passing around to the rear 
of the Hessian position, and we now know that 
many of them were seen by Colonel Baum, but he 
gave little heed to them, as they wore no uniforms 
and he never saw many together. Whenever he 
had fought in the old country, he had always seen 
men in bright-colored uniforms and moved in stately 
marches and in large divisions. These little squads 
of countrymen he never thought of as enemies, and 
so worked steadily on, ignoring them all. 

By afternoon, five hundred or more of these 
apparently harmless men were behind him, while 
John Stark with a still larger force lay before. 
Suddenly the men in the rear of the Hessians began 
an attack. They were all good marksmen, and 
before their sudden and deadly fire the Hessians 
were thrown in instant confusion, while the Indians 
quickly ran for the woods. 

The Hessians, however, began a desperate defence, 
but the American men in front advanced also to the 
attack. 

Colonel Stark had pointed his sword at the re- 
doubt of the enemy, and facing his own men had 
called out : — 

“There, my lads, are the Hessians! To-night 
our flag floats over yonder hill or Molly Stark is 
a widow ! ” And his men had responded with a 
shout and a dash that promised well. 

The hills shut out the view of the movements of 
the Americans from the Hessian colonel, who ap- 


A STRUGGLE WITH THE HESSIANS. 26 1 

parently had no thought of leaving his entrench- 
ments and going forth on the open ground to do 
battle. Again and again he plied the Americans 
with grape and musketry, but he did not seem to 
be able to make any impression upon the attacking 
parties. They appeared to be on every side of him 
at once. They were forming a circle and gradually 
closing in upon the Hessians. 

The battle became fiercer and fiercer. The farmers 
were not afraid of the Hessians’ cannon and even 
charged up to the very muzzle of their guns. For an 
hour the doughty Hessian colonel kept up the strug- 
gle, but then it was seen that his fire was beginning 
to slacken. He had been hoping all the time that 
their reinforcements, for which he had sent, and 
which he knew had left Burgoyne’s camp, would 
come to his aid ; but he waited in vain, for the help 
did not come. 

As soon as the Americans perceived that the fire 
was slackening and the defence apparently becom- 
ing weaker, they rushed close up and clambered 
over the breastworks and poured into the re- 
doubts. 

But the brave Hessians, for they were brave and 
were fighting with the energy born of despair, were 
not yet willing to give up. The long range was 
gone now, and the contest became hand to hand. 
The Hessians threw away their muskets and bayo- 
nets, and drew their broadswords and rushed to 
meet the oncoming enemy. They were not look- 


262 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


ing for victory now, only hoping to be able to cut 
their way through and escape from the place. 

But that hope was soon abandoned, for there 
were too many of the Americans for them to be 
pushed back or overborne. The end had come, 
and Hessians, Tories, and Canadians alike sur- 
rendered. There was no doubt about the victory 
thus far. 

The Americans were wild with delight. A few 
rushed back to Bennington, where every man, 
woman, and child assembled there were awaiting 
the issue in fear and trembling. Household goods 
had been carried out of the houses and loaded upon 
wagons ready to depart at a moments warning. 
Women and children stood in the streets holding 
one another by the hand and listening to the sounds 
of those awful guns only six miles away, where their 
fathers, and brothers, and sons were struggling for 
life far more than for liberty. It is needless to 
attempt to picture the joy which the words of the 
messengers produced. 

But most of the Americans were yet busy on the 
battlefield. The ranks were broken, and the men 
were scattered in every direction, some eager to 
gain the booty, some caring for the wounded, and 
some searching for the dead, while others were 
guarding the prisoners. It seemed as if complete 
demoralization had seized upon the entire band of 
patriots, and yet the Hessian reinforcements were 
close at hand. They had delayed long on the way, 


A STRUGGLE WITH THE HESSIANS. 263 

but the end of their journey had come. Before the 
startled Americans fairly realized what was occur- 
ring, the advancing Hessians were upon them. Their 
discipline and training now began to assert them- 
selves, and in unbroken lines they came on. At 
first the Americans, who had quickly rallied, were 
pushed backward, but Warner’s men with fresh re- 
inforcements had also come to their aid, and their 
approach gave Stark and his men an opportunity 
to form themselves and take fresh courage. 

Again the former tactics were followed. The 
Americans began to encircle the Hessians, and 
their firing was sure and deadly. Colonel Stark 
also brought one of the captured Hessian cannons 
to bear upon the advancing foe. The thought of 
losing what they had already gained gave the 
Americans fresh courage. They held their own, 
then steadily began to advance, firing all the time. 
Soon they were so near that the opposing lines 
could see the faces in front of them. The Hes- 
sians were falling on every side and there was no 
one to come to their aid now. Their horses were 
shot down, the artillery was useless, and the dark- 
ness was fast approaching. 

It was now the turn of the Hessians to fall back, 
and the falling back soon turned into a flight. 
Their guns were abandoned, and every man was 
looking after his own safety. But the Americans 
were much exhausted by the two battles within so 
brief a time, and as it was also now so dark that 


264 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


they could not distinguish friend from foe, they soon 
gave up the pursuit, satisfied to hold the ground 
which now they had taken twice in one afternoon. 

And what had they gained ? Four cannon, one 
thousand stands of arms, one thousand dragoon 
swords, and seven hundred prisoners ; while more 
than two hundred of the Hessians lay dead upon the 
field. The American loss was fourteen killed and 
forty-two wounded. 

And the effect of the battle upon the Americans 
was best of all : for it had shown that farmers and 
frontiersmen could be a match for the best-trained 
soldiers in the world. 

When the scattered Hessians at last made their 
way back into Burgoyne’s camp, it was a sad story 
they had to tell. Their loss had been great, and 
the perplexities of the commander were greatly 
increased. 

The question of supplies was becoming a serious 
one, and meanwhile no word from Howe or Clinton 
had been received. He had not only lost the sup- 
plies which he had hoped to gain at Bennington, 
but the effect of the battle there was to send the 
wavering men into the American camp, instead 
of into his own. 

As for Colonel John Stark, his wife was not made 
a widow then, and we know that his insubordination 
was soon forgiven and he received the longed-for 
commission of brigadier-general. It was as true 
then, as it is now, that nothing succeeds like success. 


A STRUGGLE WITH THE HESSIANS. 265 

Such was the condition of affairs, and such were 
the happenings on the left and right of the two 
main armies, after Samuel Goodwin reached the 
camp ; and while his uncertainty as to his mother 
and brother increased through all these days, he 
had little time to think of himself amidst these stir- 
ring scenes. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE RETURN OF THE PANTHER. 

As the Panther stood in the doorway, both Jairus 
and Jeremiah could see the look of intense hatred 
that shot forth from his eyes, and as it also became 
at once apparent that he was partially intoxicated, 
they knew that their own position was one of great 
danger. They had both left their guns in the ad- 
joining room, for neither had had any thought of 
the approach of an enemy, and as they looked at 
the huge Indian, they realized quickly that a des- 
perate encounter was before them. 

Jeremiah made a slight movement as if he were 
about to leave his chair, as indeed he was, for he 
had thought to gain possession of his gun by a 
sudden departure from the room ; but he was held 
in his seat by the movements of the Indian. 

With a yell that almost caused their hearts to 
stop beating, the Panther suddenly with one hand 
drew his tomahawk from his belt, and with the other 
grasped his long, keen scalping-knife, and with a 
bound stood directly before them. 

His eyes seemed to flash fire, and turning alter- 

266 


THE RETURN OF THE PANTHER. 267 

nately from one to the other, he began to swing his 
tomahawk and flourish his knife as if he were in the 
very act of tearing the scalp from some helpless 
victim. 

His motions were incredibly swift, and as he danced 
about, and flourished his weapons, he shouted : “ Me 
great warrior. Panther great chief. Me no scalp 
um squaw. Me no scalp um Jenny M’Crea. Me 
kill um paleface! Me kill um boy! Young pale- 
face no more hit um big chief ! Me Panther ! Me 
big chief ! ” 

Jairus and Jeremiah seemed almost spellbound. 
They were without any weapons of defence, and the 
slightest movement on the part of either served to 
direct the attention of the furious Indian to him. 

Not for a moment did he cease his threatening 
motions. He leaped and danced about the room, 
ever keeping his flashing eyes upon the men, and 
swinging his arms with such rapid motions that it 
was almost impossible to follow him. Jeremiah ex- 
pected each moment that the tomahawk or the 
knife would be thrown. 

With an agony that almost shut off his breath, 
the lad gazed at the leaping, shouting warrior, un- 
able to turn his eyes away from the frightful sight, 
and yet feeling sick and faint as he watched the 
movements of the Panther, whose rage and excite- 
ment seemed to increase each moment. 

“ Me no kill um squaw ! Me no scalp white 
squaw ! Me kill um young paleface ! ” shouted the 


268 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Panther, advancing upon Jairus as he spoke ; 
and the lad thought his own last moment had 
come. 

But quickly turning from him, the warrior faced 
Jeremiah, and shouted in tones that might have 
been heard far away : “ Me great warrior. Me take 
hundred, tousan scalps! Me scalp um so!” and he 
brought his knife, as he spoke, within a few inches 
of the white man’s head. 

It seemed to Jairus as if he were in some fright- 
ful dream. He could not speak or cry out. His 
tongue felt dry and parched, and his eyes seemed to 
be starting out of his head. He knew the Panther 
had recognized him, and doubtless felt that the time 
to avenge the blow Jairus had given him weeks before 
with the paddle, when he had tried to seize the canoe 
in which the lad was escaping, had come. 

“ Me big Indian ! Me great chief ! Me no scalp 
um white squaw ! Me kill um warrior ! Me take 
um paleface scalp, me no take um white squaw’s 
scalp ! The Panther is a man ! Me big chief ! ” 
still shouted the excited Indian. 

Why he did not strike them, Jairus could not 
understand. Perhaps he was doing all this to pro- 
long their agony and increase their suffering, as a cat 
sometimes seems to take delight in tormenting or 
playing with some helpless bird or mouse which 
has become its victim. 

Jairus had not even glanced at his companion, as 
his entire attention seemed to be fastened upon the 


THE RETURN OF THE PANTHER. 269 

leaping, dancing, shouting, furious savage before him, 
in whose power they seemed to be helpless. 

But Jeremiah was a powerful man, although he 
was not nearly so large as the huge Indian ; and 
after the first astonishment and fear at the move- 
ments of the Panther had gone, he began coolly to 
consider what might be done. To leave his chair 
was impossible, for the slightest movement on his 
part would make the furious savage fling his knife 
or tomahawk. And yet something must be done. 
To sit there quietly and wait for the Indian to pro- 
long the agony and take his own time for their 
destruction was impossible. 

Jeremiah soon perceived that the very chair in 
which he was seated would be no mean weapon of 
itself, but how to use it before the knife could be 
thrown was the problem to be solved. The old sol- 
dier was alert now, and each time when the Panther 
turned towards Jairus, he moved his arms back a 
trifle, and his hands came nearer to the back of the 
chair. But the moment for action had not yet come. 

“ Me big chief ! ” shouted the Panther. “ Me no 
scalp um white squaw! Me no kill um Jenny 
M’Crea ! Me kill um paleface man ! Me scalp 
um paleface warrior ! Me take um young pale- 
face scalp so ! ” and again the savage warrior, stand- 
ing before the pale and trembling Jairus, went 
through the motions of scalping his victim. This 
time he came still closer, and Jairus closed his eyes, 
feeling that now the end had come. 


270 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


When he opened them, he saw that Jeremiah 
had suddenly leaped to his feet, and swung the 
chair in which he had been seated high above 
his head. The Indian saw it too, and with a yell 
turned to meet the attack. 

Jeremiah had grasped the heavy wooden chair by 
the back and had swung it above him, and was just 
in the act of bringing it down upon the Indian’s 
head when Jairus first opened his eyes and saw 
him. 

The lad gazed at his companion in helpless agony. 
It was but a moment of time, and yet would Jere- 
miah be quick enough to prevent the thrust of the 
knife which the Panther was preparing to give ? 
The soldier’s face was set and hard, and he had 
put forth all his strength in the blow. 

The room in which they were was low, and along 
the ceiling ran the heavy beams and timbers of the 
house, so low that he could almost touch them with 
his uplifted hand when he was standing erect. And 
there stood Jeremiah before him, with the chair held 
back over his head, and the Indian prepared to spring 
upon him. 

Down came the chair, with all the strength Jere- 
miah could put into the blow; but the leg of it 
struck against the low beams, and with a louder yell 
the Panther easily dodged the strange weapon and 
turned quickly to rush upon his assailant. 

But Jeremiah instantly raised the chair aloft once 
more, and as the Panther leaped towards him, this 


THE RETURN OF THE PANTHER. 


271 


time he brought it squarely down upon the head 
and shoulders of the infuriated savage. The blow 
was too much even for the huge Indian to with- 
stand, and he sank upon the floor. 

“ Come, Jairus, help me ! ” called Jeremiah, as he 
dropped the chair and sprang upon the Indian, who 
at once was striving to rise to his feet again. 

The lad instantly responded, and then began a 
terrible struggle for the possession of the knife and 
tomahawk. Over and over upon the floor rolled 
the three contestants. Sometimes one was upon 
the top of the struggling mass, and then another 
would gain the advantage for a moment. The chair 
was broken, and the room resounded with the sounds 
of the contest. The breathing of the men could 
easily have been heard. All that is evil in man 
seemed to be stamped upon their faces. They 
struggled, they struck, they kicked, and rolled over 
and over upon the floor. 

At last Jairus managed to hold one leg of the 
warrior to the floor, and throwing himself upon it 
grasped the other with both his arms. At the same 
time Jeremiah cast himself upon the warrior’s chest, 
and with a mighty effort grasped each of his wrists 
and held them on the floor before him. The Panther 
lay stretched out, with two men sitting upon him, 
and his hands, in each of which he still held a 
weapon, fastened to the floor. The panting Jere- 
miah looked down into the evil face beneath him 
and shuddered as he tightened his grasp ; for never 


272 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


before had he seen such complete hatred expressed 
on any countenance. 

The contest in a sense was ended, but the victors 
did not know what to do with the victory they had 
won. Neither of them dared to move, and the 
slightest relaxation of their grasp would give an 
advantage to the Indian, who to all appearances 
was much less wearied by the struggle than was 
either of his captors. 

Suddenly Jeremiah shouted, “Help! Help! Will 
some one come and help us ? ” 

At the words the Panther again began to strug- 
gle, but his efforts were unavailing, as he was still 
held in the grasp of the men. 

They waited several moments, but their call 
was not heeded, and, indeed, Jairus could not 
think of any one who would be likely to come to 
their aid. Alec Bryan was away from home, and 
their only hope lay in the arrival, as he thought, of 
some passing stranger, who might be as likely to 
take the part of the Panther as he would their own. 
Must they remain where they were and trust to 
such chance aid as might come? And yet he could 
think of no way by which they might secure their 
captive ; for it would not be safe for either to release 
his grasp in the least, even for an instant. 

“ Can I do anything to help you ? ” 

Both Jeremiah and Jairus glanced quickly up at 
the sound, and saw standing in the doorway of the 
public room a young girl, apparently about eighteen 


THE RETURN OF THE PANTHER. 


273 


years of age. Her eyes were filled with wonder at 
the strange sight before her, and the terror which it 
had first inspired apparently had not entirely disap- 
peared. 

“Ah, my lass,” said Jeremiah quickly, “ that ye 
can ! Run and get a rope. Get it as quickly as 
possible,” he added, as the Panther once more re- 
newed his struggles to free himself. His captors 
had all they could do for a time to retain their hold ; 
but they had succeeded when the girl returned, bring- 
ing a coil of rope in her hands. 

“ Try and see if you can’t wrench this tomahawk 
and knife out of his hands,” gasped Jeremiah. “ I 
can hold them so he can’t hurt you.” 

The girl approached and tried to carry out his 
suggestion, but her efforts were unavailing. “ I 
can’t do it,” she said. “ He holds them too tight. 
I can’t move them.” 

“ Then slip the rope around his feet. Make a 
slip-noose,” gasped Jeremiah. “Can’t ye do that?” 

“ I’ll try,” responded the sturdy lass. 

Jairus held the warrior’s feet while the girl 
slipped the rope under them. She readily made the 
slip-noose, and then drew it as tight as her strength 
would permit. 

“ Now cut that rope and do the same thing with 
his hands,” said Jeremiah. “ I’ll hold ’em so he 
can’t hurt ye. There, don’t be in a hurry about 
it! Take yer time and be careful,” ho added, as he 
saw the girl’s face become pale as she stood where 


274 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


she could look down into the blazing eyes of the 
helpless warrior. 

For a moment the savage Panther again tried to 
free himself. He twisted, and squirmed, and strug- 
gled, exerting a strength that seemed to be almost 
supernatural, and both Jairus and Jeremiah for a 
time thought that he would succeed in getting away 
in spite of their efforts ; but the advantage was with 
them, and at last the girl succeeded in placing the 
rope under his arms, and again making a noose, 
drew it tight with all her strength. At Jeremiah’s 
direction she had left a yard or so of the rope be- 
yond the knot when she cut it, and the reason for 
doing so at once became apparent. 

“ Now, Jairus,” said Jeremiah, without looking 
behind him as he spoke, “ when I count three we’ll 
both jump off from him together, and I’ll grab this 
rope and you take the one by his feet. We’ll pull 
him up against the legs of this ’ere table. You pull 
his feet around towards you and I’ll yank his hands 
towards me, and if we pull hard enough, we’ll have 
him sure and fast. Be ye ready ? ” 

“Yes,” replied Jairus, looking carefully at the 
rope which the girl had placed close by his 
hands. 

“You’d better go outside,” said Jeremiah to the 
girl, who went as far as the doorway, and then 
stopped and waited to see the issue of the struggle; 
for the girls as well as the boys of the frontier were 
of necessity made of sturdy stuff. 


THE RETURN OF THE PANTHER. 


275 


“Now, then, Jairus,” continued Jeremiah, “get 
ready and do yer best ! One, two, three ! ” 

In an instant the two men leaped from the pros- 
trate body, and, grasping the ropes, pulled them 
quickly around the legs of the table, which was 
standing near. 

The Panther struggled desperately, but all his 
struggle was in vain, and his captors soon had him 
bound fast in a position from which he could not 
move himself. 

“ Now, then, ye varmint, I’ll give ye a dose of yer 
own medicine!” said Jeremiah, as he wrenched the 
knife and tomahawk from the hands of the Panther. 
“ I'll show ye just how good it feels to have a war- 
dance goin’ on in front of ye. Me big Injun! Me 
no scalp um white squaw,” he continued, imitating 
the cries and movements which the Panther had 
used a few moments before. “ I’ll show ye what I 
can do with a knife, too ! ” and he advanced and 
stood over the prostrate Indian as he spoke. The 
Panther, however, made no response, though his 
dark eyes blazed like burning coals. 

“Oh, hold on, Jeremiah!” said Jairus quickly. 
“ Don’t touch him now. Let’s think of what’s best 
to be done.” 

As he spoke, Jairus glanced about him for the 
girl who had given them such substantial aid, but 
she had disappeared. “ Don’t you use the knife on 
him. ’Twas bad enough for him. We don’t want 
to use any such tricks.” 


276 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“No, you don’t; that’s a fact,” said Alec Bryan, 
who just then entered the room and gazed in aston- 
ishment about him. “ What have you been up to, 
anyway? What’s all this rumpus about, I’d like to 
know.” 

Jeremiah briefly related the story of their encoun- 
ter, and as he finished, Bryan said : “ I know this 
fellow. He’s ‘ The Panther,’ as they call him. 
They’re telling great stories about him, too, just 
now. But you don’t want to knife him — not but 
what he deserves it, but that isn’t the thing to do 
with him now.” 

“ What shall we do, then ? He’s too dangerous a 
varmint to be allowed to run around loose.” 

“ So he is,” replied Bryan, “ but we’ll take him out 
to my smoke-house and leave him there for the 
night.” 

“Jest as you say,” said Jeremiah, “though I’m of 
the opinion ’twould be better to have a little smoke 
there, too.” 

Bryan laughed, but made no reply as he looked 
carefully to the cords with which the Indian was 
bound. Apparently not satisfied by his examina- 
tion, he procured some more rope and proceeded to 
bind the prisoner more securely. Then, at the 
scout’s word, the three men freed him from the 
table, and lifting him in their arms carried him out 
to the smoke-house, and leaving him within, care- 
fully fastened the door and went back to the public 
room. 


THE RETURN OF THE PANTHER. 


2 77 


Jairus and Jeremiah showed plainly the effects of 
the fearful struggle through which they had passed, 
but when they seated themselves it was with a feel- 
ing of intense relief, for only a few moments before 
neither had hoped to escape as they had. 

“ When you goin’ to start for Phil Schuyler’s 
army?” inquired Alec Bryan abruptly. 

“ Right away. The sooner we get out of this, the 
better,” said Jeremiah. 

“ No, you ain’t goin’ right away,” replied the 
scout. 

“ We’re not ? Why not, I’d like to know ? ” 

“ Because you’ll have to wait till mornin’, now. 
Mebbe you remember the girl what happened in 
and gave you the rope ? ” he inquired. 

“ Yes.” 

“ Well, I want her to go with you, and so you’ll 
have to wait till mornin’. There’s a bit of a story 
I’ve got to tell you, too; so you see you’ll jest have 
to wait, and that’s all there is about it.” 

His hearers looked at him in surprise, and Alec 
at once began his story. 


CHAPTER XXV. 


A NEW COMPANION. 

“You see,” began Alec Bryan, “the story as it 
comes to me is somewhat like this. There was a 
girl named Jenny M’Crea visitin’ down here below 
Fort Edward at Mrs. M’Neil’s. Mrs. M’Neil, you 
know, was a cousin of General Fraser, and I suppose 
they thought they’d be all safe there on that ac- 
count. Well, it seems there was a young Tory 
lieutenant among the redcoats, named David 
Jones.” 

Jairus began to listen more intently as he heard 
the lieutenant’s name mentioned, for there were 
special reasons for his recollection of him ; but he 
said nothing, and the scout went on with his story 
without perceiving the lad’s increased interest. 
“Well, Lieutenant David sent for Jenny, to whom 
he was engaged to be married, to come to the 
British camp. Some say he sent for her to come so 
that they could be married by Chaplain Brudenell, 
for a good many of the officers, and men too, for 
that matter, have their wives along with them ; but 
I understand Jones denies sending the letter. He 

278 


A NEW COMPANION 


279 

promised the Panther, and the Indians who went 
with him to conduct Jenny to the British camp, a 
barrel of rum if they succeeded. 

“ The stories don’t agree very well from this point 
on, some sayin’ as how, after Jenny and Mrs. M’Neil 
started, that they were attacked by a party of Ameri- 
cans, and that poor Jenny was shot; but others say 
when the Indians stopped on the way by a spring, 
they got to quarrellin’ among themselves about who 
should have charge of that barrel of rum they were 
to have, and that at last they got so warm about it 
that one of the savages up with his tomahawk and 
crushed in the skull of the poor girl. 

“ Well, Mrs. M’Neil got into the- camp, and pretty 
soon she saw one of the redskins waving a scalp he 
had taken, and she knew at once it was Jenny’s; 
for her hair was all black and glossy and as shiny as 
silk. I suspect there was a great time then, and I 
understand Burgoyne had the Panther up before 
him and threatened to hang him for the deed, but 
the redskin couldn’t be proven guilty, and so got off. 
I think he must have got some of the barrel o’ rum, 
though, from the stories I hear about him.” 

“ I don’t think there’s very much doubt about 
that,” said Jeremiah ruefully, for he still bore many 
of the marks of his recent encounter. “ I’ve been 
close enough to get a whiff of his breath myself.” 

“ So I fancy,” replied Alec dryly. “ But you’re 
safe now, and so is the Panther. It’s a fearful story, 
though, this about Jenny M’Crea, and unless I’m 


28 o 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


greatly mistaken, it will help to fill out Schuyler’s 
regiments more than all the other things put together. 
You see, the settlers won’t stop to think very much, 
and they’re afraid the next ones to suffer will be 
their own wives and daughters, and they blame 
Johnnie Burgoyne for it all. Perhaps they’re right 
too, for all I know. He had no right to use the red- 
skins anyway, and it’s bound to hurt him most of all 
in the long run.” 

Jairus still was silent. He was thinking of Lieu- 
tenant Jones, whom he thoroughly liked, and was 
wondering how he was bearing his sorrow. His 
thoughts were recalled in a moment, however, by 
the question which Jeremiah asked. 

“ But what about this other girl, the one you say 
we’ve got to take with us ? It’s a pretty big con- 
tract, I’m thinkin’, to take a young girl with us 
through a country such as this is now.” 

“Yes, I know it,” replied Bryan, “but that’s the 
very reason why she’s got to go with you. It isn’t 
just safe for her to go, but it’s a good deal more un- 
safe for her to stay here. The Tories and Indians 
are thick as flies around a milk-pail. She just can’t 
stay here, and that’s all there is about it. Her 
name’s Prudence, — Prudence Thorpe, — and she’s a 
kind of a friend of Mrs. Schuyler’s. Leastwise, Mrs. 
Schuyler’ll look after her, and you two men will 
have to see that she’s placed in her care. She’s a 
brave lass, and will give you little trouble, and if you 
should happen to have a brush with the Tories or 


A NEW COMPANION. 


281 

Indians, she’ll take her part, most as well as this lad 
here,” and he pointed at Jairus as he spoke. 

“That may all be so,” replied Jeremiah, “but I 
don’t see how she’s going to stand the tramp. It’s 
a good long ways to Fort Edward, and we’re not 
going to crawl over the ground, let me tell ye, 
either.” 

“You won’t have to; I’ve got three horses for 
you. When you get into the camp, you just turn 
’em over to Phil Schuyler. I’m thinkin’ he may be 
able to find some use for ’em.” 

“ Horses? That alters the case entirely. I think 
we may be able to take her, after all.” 

“ Of course you’ll take her. But you’re not goin’ 
to have any easy time, let me tell you. There’ll be 
plenty of men to pick you off if you don’t look out. 
Still, I’m goin’ to give you a tip or two before you 
start, and I’m thinkin’ I may be able to slide you 
through.” 

“ How in the world do you manage to keep so 
well posted, Alec?” said Jeremiah admiringly. 

“ You don’t expect me to give you all my secrets, 
do you ? Still I don’t mind tellin’ you that I am 
pretty well posted, fairly well that is, if I do say as 
ought not. Now, just to show you that I know what 
I’m talkin’ about you listen while I run over on my 
fingers what Johnnie Burgoyne’s been a doin’.” 

Alec Bryan spread out the fingers of one hand, 
and with the other began to count off the move- 
ments of the British commander. “ On the 6th of 


282 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


May Johnnie arrives at Quebec; on the ioth he 
receives the command of the army from General 
Carleton, a man who in my opinion forgot more in 
one minute than Johnnie could learn in one year, 
which same is neither here nor there. This was at 
Quebec, too, you understand. On the 12th he ar- 
rives at Montreal, and pretty soon off he starts with 
all his men. On the 7th of June he leaves Three 
Rivers; from the ioth to the 14th he’s at Fort 
Chambly; on the 15th he’s at Isle au Noix; from 
the 17th to the 20th he’s at Cumberland Head. 
Then from the 21st to the 28th he’s at the river 
Bouquet, and on the 29th and 30th he’s at Crown 
Point. On the 1st day of July he’s at Ticonderoga; 
from the 7th to the 23d at Skenesborough and 
then at Fort Anne, and my impression is that now 
he’s in Fort Edward. There, doesn’t that look as 
if I’d followed Johnnie pretty fairly well?” added 
the scout with evident pride. 

“It does that!” said Jeremiah with enthusiasm. 
“ But I don’t understand about Burgoyne being in 
Fort Edward. Have you heard anything? Has he 
driven Schuyler out ? What do you mean ? ” 

“ No, he hasn’t driven Schuyler out, but Schuyler 
may have gone out of his own accord. I happen to 
know that such a thing is pretty likely to happen.” 

“ And that means that the Americans are being 
driven right on towards Albany and will be caught 
between the two armies, and smashed like a fly 
between my two hands,” said Jeremiah gloomily. 


A NEW COMPANION. 


28 3 


“ It doesn’t mean anything of the kind. Phil 
Schuyler’s all right, and he knows just what he’s 
doin’, every time. You’ll know more about that 
later on, I’m thinkin’. Now we’ll have some supper, 
and after your fracas you’ll be tired enough to get 
in bed early ; for you’ll want to start in the mornin’ 
before sunrise, I’m thinkin’ ! ” 

Supper was now ready, and as they sat down to 
the table, Jairus found that he was seated next to 
Prudence Thorpe. He felt somewhat embarrassed, 
at first; for the recollection of the first sight she had 
had of him, when he was struggling desperately to 
hold the feet and legs of the Panther, was fresh in 
his mind. 

He was soon at his ease, however; for Prudence 
praised him for his bravery, and soon drew forth 
the story of his adventures since John Burgoyne 
had appeared on Lake Champlain. 

“And your name’s Jairus Goodwin, is it?” she 
said when they had left the supper table and were 
standing by one of the windows in the family sitting- 
room. 

“ Yes,” replied Jairus. “ Why do you ask? That’s 
the second time you’ve done it. Don’t you think 
it’s a good name ? ” 

“ Oh, it will do. It will have to, I suppose, for 
such a young soldier as you,” laughed Prudence. 
“ Only I was thinking. It’s not the first time I’ve 
heard it, if you must know.” 

But to all of the lad’s questions, as to where or 


284 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


how she had heard the name before, she would give 
no reply. 

Still, when Jairus was summoned by Jeremiah to 
go to bed, he thought he had spent a very pleasant 
evening, and as he turned to leave the room he said : 
“ Then you are to go with us, are you, in the morn- 
ing? Well, I’m very glad of it, for my part.” 

“Are you ?” said Prudence demurely. “Well, I 
don’t know whether I am or not ; but as Alec Bryan 
has promised to see that I am soon safely with 
Mistress Catherine Schuyler, I fancy I shall have to 
put up with such protection as I can find. If Alec 
Bryan is content to trust me with you, I don’t sup- 
pose a protest would do any good, even if I offered 
one. I only hope there won’t be any Indian to kick 
at you on the way. At any rate, I think we’d better 
take some rope along with us.” 

Jairus colored deeply, not being in the least famil- 
iar with the ways of girls, and thinking that she was 
making fun of the appearance he presented when 
first she had seen him. However, he managed to 
say “good night,” and at once followed Jeremiah, 
who was holding a candle in his hands, to the room 
in the low and unfinished loft. 

“ I’ve been out to see the Panther,” said Jere- 
miah as they prepared for bed. “ His eyes burned 
like coals, but he didn’t say anything when I opened 
the door and looked in at him. ’Twas a great feat, 
that, my lad, when we took and tied him up. ’Twas 
a great feat, indeed.” 


A NEW COMPANION. 


285 


“ I thought Prudence was the one who tied him,” 
responded Jairus, who was still thinking of the light 
way in which he thought the girl regarded him. 
“ It seems to me for two men, to say nothing of the 
help of a girl, to be able to tie up one Indian, was 
not such a wonderful thing to do, Jeremiah.” 

“ What’s gone wrong with ye, my lad ? ” said 
Jeremiah quickly. “ Has that little wench, Prudence, 
been turning yer head in this short time ? Ah, my 
lad, my lad,” added the soldier, shaking his head, 
“ ye’re a silly boy to let one little lass steal yer 
wits away like this. But then ye’re not so differ- 
ent from the rest of us, I suppose, after all. And yet 
’twas a wonderful thing to do ! Why, when I lifted 
that chair and it struck against the beams, I thought 
it was all up with us, I did indeed. Ye see, the 
Panther was armed with a knife and tomahawk, and 
1 suppose he’s the most powerful brute in Bur- 
goyne’s army. He’s a giant, he is, and I want to put 
yer mind at rest. Don’t you believe it was a little 
thing we did. Don’t ye let that little wench — ” 

Jeremiah suddenly stopped and glanced keenly at 
Jairus, who was already in bed, and apparently asleep. 
“ Humph,” he muttered as he blew out the candle 
and took his place beside his companion, but just 
what he meant by the expression he did not explain, 
and Jairus, who was only feigning sleep, could not 
understand. 

ft was not yet sunrise when Alec Bryan sum- 
moned the two men, and when they entered the 


286 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


public room they could see their horses in the 
dooryard, bridled and waiting for them. 

“ The bird’s flown ! ” said Alec abruptly. 

“‘The bird’s flown!’” repeated Jeremiah. “I 
don’t know as I just catch yer meaning, Alec 
Bryan.” 

“ Oh, nothing, only the Panther’s got away. 
Slipped his cords and started out in the night. 
How he did it, I can’t tell ; but he’s gone ; that’s all 
there is about it. You can see for yourself if you 
want to.” 

There was a suspicion in Jairus’s mind that Alec 
could have told more if he had wished to, but he 
did not speak, and at once followed the men into 
the room in which breakfast was waiting for them. 

Prudence was waiting, too, and her manner was 
so different from that of the preceding evening that 
Jairus at once felt relieved and blamed himself for 
suspecting that she had made light of his valor. 

“ I suppose,” said Jeremiah, “that the fact of the 
Panther’s getting out won’t make our journey any 
more pleasant than it would have been. Probably 
he’s got friends about, and we may hear from him 
again.” 

“ The fact is,” said Alec, “ that there are a good 
many Tories and Indians prowlin’ round. I can’t 
deny that. I don’t know, Prudy, my lass, but that 
I’d better keep you here. The danger’s most too 
great for you to start out. How do you feel about 
it, yourself ? ” 


A NEW COMPANION. 


287 


“ I want to go,” said Prudence quietly. “ I’m not 
afraid with these two men. Didn’t I see them tie 
up the Panther yesterday ? Besides, Mistress 
Schuyler is waiting for me, and I must go.” 

Jairus flushed, for he was unable to tell from the 
girl’s manner whether she was speaking lightly or 
not. Her tones were serious enough, but there was 
a sparkle in her eyes that seemed to belie her words. 

“ Very well, have it your own way,” replied Alec. 
“ I have known Jeremiah for years, and I’m sure 
he’ll do his best for you ; and I think this young 
man will, too,” he added, glancing kindly at Jairus. 

“ Oh, he’ll do the best he can,” responded Pru- 
dence mischievously. “ He’ll do to hold the 
Panther’s feet, if he comes around again, while Jere- 
miah and I tie up his hands. Oh, I’m not afraid.” 

Alec laughed at the words, but as Jeremiah 
plainly showed his displeasure, Prudence quickly 
added: “Seriously, I am afraid to go, but I’m afraid 
to stay, too. I’m sure these men are both brave, 
and that I shall be safe with them. At any rate, 
I’m o-oing to start with them and take the chance.” 

“ There is a good deal of danger,” said Alec seri- 
ously, “ but I shan’t oppose you. Now, Jeremiah,” he 
added, turning to the soldier, “ remember the place 
I was telling you about. The folks there are straight, 
and you can trust ’em every bit. You’d better not 
go beyond there to-day, and put up with ’em till 
mornin’.” 

Jeremiah promised to follow the directions, and 


288 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS 


in a few moments the good bys were spoken, and the 
little party of three started forth on their perilous 
journey. 

For a long time no one of them spoke. The 
knowledge of the presence of Tories and Indians 
kept them alert, and the final warnings of Bryan 
were not soon, nor easily, forgotten. All three were 
well mounted, and Jairus marked with pleasure the 
ease and confidence with which Prudence handled 
the horse she was riding. 

The rough roadway led through long stretches of 
the forest, and every tree they passed might be the 
hiding-place of some enemy. They were watchful, 
and as the hours passed and no danger thus far had 
been discovered, their spirits rose somewhat, and it 
somehow came to pass that Jairus found himself 
riding by the side of Prudence, while Jeremiah rode 
in advance and kept a careful lookout. 

What the subject of the conversation between the 
two was is not known, but that it was not unpleas- 
ant could be readily seen by the change which had 
come over Jairus. His annoyance had entirely dis- 
appeared, and he seemed to be enjoying himself 
thoroughly. 

It was only the middle of the afternoon when 
Jeremiah reined in his horse, and pointing to a rude 
house by the roadside said : “ This is the place 

where Alec told us to stop. It seems to me too 
early, but I guess he knew what he was talking 
about, so we’ll do as he told us to. Come on ! ” 


•* 'V 



JAIRUS FOUND HIMSELF RIDING BY THE SIDE OF PRUDENCE 










•• 






















































. 













A NEW COMPANION. 


289 


The three then turned in from the road and ap- 
proached the house. As they stopped, Jairus could 
hardly trust his eyes when he saw standing in the 
doorway his own cousin, Arthur Goodwin. 

His confusion was increased a moment later 
when his companion exclaimed : “ Why, Arthur 

Goodwin, what are you doing here ? ” 

Arthur looked up quickly at the hail, and while 
he evidently was pleased, he did not offer to advance. 
Somehow, Jairus found his dislike of his cousin sud- 
denly greatly increased, but he forgot it all, when a 
moment later he obtained a glimpse of a number of 
men in the house. His fear grew when he discov- 
ered that at least two or three of them were clad 
in the British uniform, and he also recognized others 
as having been among the Tories whose supplies in 
the ravine he had aided in destroying. 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

SAMUEL GOES ON TIMOTHY’S EXPEDITION. 

Samuel Goodwin had now settled into the routine 
of the camp life in the American army, which lay 
stretched along the western bank of the Hudson 
from Stillwater to Half Moon, while Burgoyne’s 
forces were about thirty miles higher up, on the 
eastern bank extending from Fort Edward to the 
Batten Kill. The results of the engagements we 
already have described had greatly increased the 
spirit of the Americans, and there were even hopes 
expressed of being able to check the advance of 
John Burgoyne. 

There was, however, a constant feeling of uncer- 
tainty manifest, and the lack of knowledge of what 
Clinton and Howe were doing increased the uneasi- 
ness of the men. Samuel’s life was like that of 
many of the soldiers, decidedly unconventional, for 
strict military discipline was almost unknown. He 
was staying most of the time on the outskirts of the 
army ; for the place of danger and responsibility 
was largely given over to the troops which already 
had had a taste of war. Still, Samuel was free to 


290 


SAMUEL GOES ON TIMOTHY'S EXPEDITION. 29 1 

come and go within the lines much as he chose, 
and many were the hours he spent with Timothy 
Murphy, who was acknowledged to be the best shot 
among Daniel Morgan’s dragoons, which was saying 
a good deal for him ; for the entire band had gained 
a great reputation with their rifles. 

The words “ Liberty or Death ” which he had 
seen inscribed upon the fur-trimmed hunting-shirt 
of Timothy, when he had first looked down upon 
him from his hiding-place in the tree near the sheep- 
pen, he soon found was not peculiar to the honest 
Irishman’s garb, but was shared by all the band, and 
seemed to attract as much attention and admiration 
from the Continentals as it had from Samuel. As 
for the leader, Daniel Morgan, the “ Jarseyman who 
had gone to Varginia,” as Timothy expressed it, 
Samuel entertained the most unbounded admiration 
for him. His powerful body and bold manners were 
such as to arouse the wonder of a young lad like 
Samuel ; and indeed throughout the army, the preju- 
dice which had been manifested against the band, 
composed largely as it was of Irishmen, when they 
had first joined the eastern forces, had largely .dis- 
appeared by this time, and the true worth of the 
men was recognized and respected by nearly all. 

An event had occurred, however, in the Ameri- 
can camp that promised little good. Philip Schuyler 
had been superseded in the command of the forces 
by General Gates. Congress had at last yielded to 
the demands of Schuyler’s enemies, and believing 


292 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


that the feeling on the part of the soldiers, especially 
of the New England men, was too strong against 
Schuyler to permit of a successful issue of the cam- 
paign, they had given the command to General Gates, 
a weak and incompetent man in almost every way. 

Time has vindicated the merits of Philip Schuyler, 
but the change was a sad mistake at the time, and 
the success which later crowned the American 
cause was entirely in spite of Gates, not because of 
anything he did. However, there were many in 
the camp who hailed his coming with delight, 
and boasted, that now something worth while 
would be done. 

The pettiness of General Gates can readily be 
seen, when it is remembered that he at once con- 
temptuously ignored Schuyler, and did not even 
invite him to the council of the officers which he 
speedily called. 

He also ignored Arnold, and had it not been for 
the unbounded faith of the men in Arnold’s bravery 
and ability, it might have fared ill with General 
Gates and the American army. As it was, he 
reaped the harvest others sowed, and gained the 
plaudits others deserved. 

His disposition and actions never appeared more 
petty than in comparison with Philip Schuyler’s 
actions at the time. Without a murmur or com- 
plaint, Schuyler did all that lay* within his power for 
his successor, and then in quiet dignity withdrew. 

“ Thot Gates is nuthin’ more nor less than a little 


Samuel goes on timothy's expedition , ; 293 

dandy, sorr,” said Timothy Murphy to Samuel one 
day when he had sought out the lad. “ Mark me 
words, me lad, we’ll all of us see the day, and that 
soon, whin we’ll pine for a sight of Phil Schuyler’s 
face, as Oi’m after doin’ for a squint of me ould 
mother’s face, who’s away off in ould Oireland, bless 
the sowls of the two of thim ! ” 

“You’re not going to leave the army, are you, 
Tim ? ” said Samuel quickly. 

“ Niver a bit. Oi’m after stayin’ all the more now. 
They’ll need Dan’l Morgan’s men more nor iver 
now, Oi’m thinkin’, and Timothy Murphy’s not the 
one to be lavin’ when the fracas has just begun. 
Indade, Oi’ve cum for yez, me lad, jist now, to take a 
hand in a bit of a rumpus. Will yez come wid me?” 
“ Where ? What are you after now, Timothy? ” 
“That’s jist like the Yankee lad that ye are,” 
laughed Timothy, “ to be after answerin’ me ques- 
tion by axin’ two more in the place of it. But I 
don’t mind a bit tellin’ yez.” 

And Timothy explained at once the project in 
his mind. 

It seems, that the region adjoining that in 
which the army lay was in exceeding peril from 
bands of prowling Indians and marauding Tories. 
Many of the latter had come down from Canada and 
were striving to capture unsuspecting settlers who 
had not joined the army, and carry them off to 
Canada and thereby claim the reward which Bur- 
goyne had offered for every prisoner taken. 


294 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


At a place only a few miles beyond the lines of 
the army, a Whig, by chance, had thought he had 
discovered that a few Tories were concealed some- 
where in the vicinity, and he had hurried the few 
families there into the rude blockhouse, which every 
little settlement had for its defence, and had then set 
off for the American camp. 

He had not learned the hiding-place of the suspected 
Tories, and indeed was not positive that any were 
in the vicinity ; but the presence and question of a 
strange lad, “ as to where he might be able to obtain 
a bottle of rum,” had at once aroused the suspicions 
of the ardent Whig. He had followed the lad as he 
left the settlement, and while he had seen enough 
to warrant him in the belief that a small band of 
Tories was in the vicinity, he had not considered 
it safe to carry his investigations too far, and, in- 
deed, the lad had at last doubled on his tracks and 
thrown off his pursuer. 

The Whig had then come to the camp, and as a 
result, Timothy and three companions were to go 
to search the neighborhood. As a special favor, the 
Irishman had obtained permission for Samuel to go 
with him ; for enjoying, as he did, anything in the 
nature of a contest, he thought that the lad, for 
whom he had conceived a strong liking, would also 
be glad to go. The project was dangerous, but of 
that Timothy never thought, and when Samuel 
accepted the somewhat doubtful invitation, the 
rifleman was as happy as a boy. 


SAMUEL GOES ON TIMOTHY'S EXPEDITION. 295 

The party of five soon left the camp, and in the 
course of a few hours arrived at the little settlement. 

The Whig had come with them, and as they drew 
near his home, he said, “ I followed the lad down 
to the big clump of bushes over there,” and he 
pointed, as he spoke, to a large extent of swampy 
ground, covered with a heavy growth of bushes and 
extending over many acres. 

“They may be gone now, sorr,” said Timothy. 

“ No, they’re not gone,” replied the man ; “for if any 
one had been seen to leave the place, then a white 
cloth would have been hung out of the windows of 
my house, and you can see there’s no sign of that,” he 
added, pointing towards the log house in the distance. 

The soldiers held a brief consultation, and it was 
soon decided that the best plan would be for the 
Whig to return to his house and leave the men to 
make their own investigations. 

The man at once departed, and as soon as he was 
gone, Timothy, who was the acknowledged leader, 
at once began to arrange his plans. He divided 
his force into two divisions, one consisting of him- 
self, Samuel, and another soldier, while the other 
two men were to act separately. 

The two divisions were to start in opposite direc- 
tions from the same spot and proceed around the 
nearly circular swamp until they met, when they 
would compare experiences, and if nothing had been 
discovered by either, they would repeat the operation, 
going a little farther within the swamp. 


296 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


By continuing this plan, they would gradually 
draw near the centre of the bushes, and the entire 
field would be covered. Signals were agreed upon 
in case of the need of help, and then, at a word from 
Timothy, the men separated and began their search. 

Samuel felt as if he were running a fox to cover, 
only in the present case the game was far more 
difficult to bag. Besides, there was the constant 
element of danger added. No one knew the exact 
number of the men within, nor indeed that men were 
there. But the probability was so strong that all 
the party were eager for the search to be made. 

Marshy places abounded, into which the feet of 
the men sank. Trees grew in scattered places, and 
among their high branches enemies might be con- 
cealed, and all they would have to do would be to 
shoot down upon the approaching men, without 
being discovered themselves. 

As the search went on, Samuel found that his 
alarm was increasing. A glance at his two com- 
panions showed that they were sharing in the in- 
creasing excitement. They approached cautiously 
the clumps of bushes, eagerly examining the ground 
for signs of a path. They peered carefully up into 
the trees as they drew near them, but the outer 
circuit was completed, and no signs of the Tories 
had been discovered. 

Again they began the search, entering farther 
within the swamp. The passage was more diffi- 
cult now, and although the distance was not so 


SAMUEL GOES ON TIMOTHY'S EXPEDITION. 297 

great, more time was consumed in completing the 
circuit. The men were showing signs of fatigue, 
as well as of fear and anxiety, when at last they 
came together and reported that none had dis- 
covered any hiding-place. 

The sun was low now, and darkness would soon 
be at hand. The peril would then be greatly in- 
creased ; for if a lurking enemy should discover 
them, every advantage would be on his side, and 
the searching party would not be able even to make 
a stand in the darkness. 

It was finally decided to penetrate a little farther, 
and make the circuit once more ; and then, in case 
of failure to discover any signs of the Tories, to 
decide upon their future course of action. 

The dusk had settled into the gloom when at 
last the men came together again and still reported 
their failure. They were worn by their exertions, 
bespattered with mud, and were almost hopeless of 
succeeding now. 

A whispered consultation then took place, the 
result of which was that they decided to remain 
where they were for the night, and resume their 
search in the early morning light. Two of the men 
were for abandoning it then and there, claiming that 
it all was as hopeless as it was useless ; but Timo- 
thy’s insistence at last prevailed, and the men again 
separated, one division to pass the night on one 
side of the swamp, and the other on the farther 
side. 


298 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Dry places were readily found, and when Samuel 
at last threw himself upon the ground, he was so tired 
that in spite of his anxiety he was soon asleep. For 
a few moments he had thought of his mother and 
brother, and the far-away home in the clearing. 
What a change had come within a few weeks, and 
how different it all was from the peaceful life of a 
few months back ! Then, their worst enemies had 
been the wolves and panthers of the forest, but now 
the wild beasts seemed merciful in contrast with the 
horrors of war. His home was burned, his mother 
had disappeared and perhaps had been slain, while 
the whereabouts of his brother Jairus formed an- 
other almost inscrutable mystery. As the lad looked 
up at the stars, which he could see twinkling in the 
sky overhead, his thoughts were hard and bitter. 
The peril of his own situation was almost forgotten 
in his anxiety for his mother and brother, but he 
was far too weary even to retain such thoughts long, 
and was soon asleep. 

He was awakened by Timothy, who had remained 
on guard all through the night. It was not yet fairly 
light, and, as Samuel sat upright, at first he could 
hardly realize where he was. As soon as he heard 
Timothy’s voice, however, it all came back. 

“We’ll be after startin’ at once, me boy; for we 
want to get out of this, and have some breakfast. 
Now if you’re awake, we’ll begin.” 

In a moment Samuel was ready, and the search 
was resumed. They had not advanced many rods, 


SAMUEL GOES ON TIMOTHY'S EXPEDITION. 299 

however, before the lad’s attention was directed 
towards three logs, so arranged as to block the 
progress of any one who should try to enter what 
certainly looked like a path. 

Touching Timothy upon the shoulder, for the 
Irishman was near him at the time, Samuel silently 
pointed at his discovery. Timothy’s eyes glistened 
at the sight, and nodding his head, indicated that 
Samuel should approach and see what lay beyond. 

Accordingly, the lad slowly and cautiously entered 
the path, and approaching the upright logs climbed 
upon them. He almost lost his balance and fell 
backward at the sight which met his eyes. 

Seated in a semicircle upon the ground before him 
were five rough-appearing men, who were watching 
their two companions as they prepared to start a 
fire by which to cook their breakfast. A hasty 
glance showed the startled lad that the men were 
dressing. Their clothing was much worn, but still 
betrayed the British uniform. Their caps were 
drawn upon their heads, as the regulars wore them, 
and within easy grasp of each man lay his gun. 

Samuel took all this in at a glance ; and then, almost 
too frightened to realize what he was doing, slowly 
drew back without being discovered. His pale face 
at once revealed to Timothy that something of a 
startling nature had been discovered, and in a mo- 
ment the two men were by the side of the lad, lis- 
tening to the few words of explanation he whispered 
to them. 


3 oo 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


“ Sivin, is it ? ” whispered Timothy. “ Thin, be 
jabbers, me name’s not Timothy Murphy, if we 
don’t take thim, ivery one of thim.” 

His companions looked at him in consternation. 
Surely, he would not attempt to take seven desper- 
ate men with only three. Surely, he would at least 
wait for their two companions to join them. In- 
deed, to Samuel, the only safe course seemed to be 
to withdraw quietly, and at once. 

“ Now yez do jist as Oi’m after tellin’ yez,” whis- 
pered Timothy, looking carefully to the priming of 
his gun. “ Come on now, and the whole of yez do 
jist as Oi’m after doin’ meself.” 

With trembling hearts, and hands that trembled 
far more than their hearts, Timothy’s two compan- 
ions followed his example, looked carefully to their 
priming, and then slowly and cautiously approached 
the logs. 

Timothy’s quick eyes at once saw that there was 
standing-room on each side, and motioning to his 
companions for one to take his stand on one side, 
and the other on the other, prepared to mount the 
logs himself. 

In a moment this had been accomplished, and 
the three men stood in plain sight of the little camp. 
They drew their guns to their shoulders as Timothy 
directed, and then, satisfied that as yet their pres- 
ence had not been discovered, the bold Irishman, in 
a voice which might have been heard a quarter of a 
mile away, called upon the band to surrender. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


THE “ IRISHMAN’S GUN.” 

The five men in the group were as motionless as 
if they had been turned into stone. They looked 
at the guns which were pointed towards them, and 
as if fascinated by the sight, not one turned away 
his eyes. 

The astonishment which was manifest when the 
startling summons to surrender had been given, 
soon gave place to a look of consternation and 
alarm. No one spoke, and Samuel could not 
determine who were the more badly frightened — 
the Tories or himself. Timothy Murphy and his 
other companion seemed to be as cool and uncon- 
cerned as if summoning a party of Tories twice as 
large as their own company, was a matter of every- 
day occurrence. 

The leader of the Tory band was the first to 
recover his senses, and, without turning his eyes 
away from Timothy, he slowly stretched forth his 
hand to grasp his gun, which was on the ground 
near him. Something which he saw in the Irish- 
man’s eyes caused him to desist, but, unable to re- 


302 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


strain himself, again he reached forth to take his 
gun. 

“None o’ that, me lad !” said Timothy. “Ye’ll 
be a dead mon when ye hold that gun agin,” he 
added, with a true Irishman’s tendency to make 
a bull. “ Now thin,, come out o’ that ! Come 
over these logs one at a time, and we’ll make no 
trouble for yez; but as sure’s me name’s Timothy 
Murphy, the first one to reach for a gun, or who 
disobeys me orders, will get a dose o’ me lead. Now 
thin, step lively, me lads ! One at a time, as Oi’m 
tellin’ yez. You’ll be after bein’ the furst one,” he 
added, nodding his head at the Tory nearest him. 

There was no hesitation now. They thought 
they were surrounded by enemies, and their only 
hope lay in prompt obedience. Accordingly, the 
man whom Timothy had indicated, after giving one 
hasty glance about him, clambered over the logs. 

Timothy and Samuel kept their guns still aimed 
at the band, but their companion, who was a power- 
ful man, quickly bound the prisoner’s hands behind 
him with light thongs of deer’s hide which he had 
brought with him. 

One after another the men obeyed the summons 
and were bound, the leader coming last of all. 

“ Now thin, before we return, we’ll be after havin’ 
a look at the camp o’ the traitors,” said Timothy, 
entering quickly within the enclosure. 

The stout-hearted leader was seen to return as 
hastily as he had entered, and with a look of alarm 


THE “IRISHMAN'S GUN.' 


303 


upon his face which startled his companions. 
“ Women, be jabbers ! Female women ! ” shouted 
the excited man as if he were pursued by enemies. 

Pursuit there was, but it was by the weeping, ter- 
ror-stricken women, who followed Timothy, and with 
many tears and sobs began to beseech the captors 
to spare the lives of their prisoners. It soon ap- 
peared that they were the sisters of the unfortunate 
men, and well aware of the terrible vengeance 
which had been inflicted upon Tories and spies 
since the death of Jane M’Crea, they were fearful 
that their brothers might then and there suffer the 
penalty of their crimes. 

“ Oh, spare them, spare them ! ” cried one of the 
women, breaking into a flood of tears. “ They 
haven’t done any harm. They’re not spies. You 
took them when they were armed, and so they can’t 
be spies, anyway. Oh, spare them, spare them ! 
Think of your own mothers and sisters ! Think 
how they would feel if they were standing where 
we are ! Oh, spare them ! We beg of you to spare 
them ! ” and in the agony of her grief the youngest 
of the women threw herself upon the ground, and 
tried to clasp Timothy’s knees. 

Timothy was not unmoved by the sight of her 
grief, and said not unkindly: “ We’re not goin’ for 
to hang ’em now, though Oi doubt not they desarve 
it richly. They can’t be soldiers, for if they had 
been they wouldn’t all sivin o’ ’em surrendered with- 
out ever firin’ a gun, or givin’ a blow. No, ma’am, 


304 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


they’re not soldiers, that’s plain as the nose on yer 
face, — Oi mean yer nose on my face, — no, Oi mean 
me nose on your face, — no, be jabbers, beggin’ yer 
pardon, ma’am, Oi’m after meanin’ me own nose on 
me own face ; that’s it, bedad ! But Oi’ll give ’em 
a chance to tell who they are thimselves,” and he 
glanced questioningly at the prisoners as he spoke. 

“ We’re from Canada. We came down to kid- 
nap some of the Whigs. We’re not spies. We 
haven’t done any harm,” said the youngest of the 
prisoners quickly, ignoring the glances of anger and 
contempt bestowed upon him by his four compan- 
ions in misery. 

“ Oi’m jist sure o’ that, me boy,” replied Timothy. 
“Ye haven’t done any harm yit, and Oi don’t think 
ye iver will. But Oi’m a bit puzzled to know what 
to do with these women. Oi wasn’t after thinkin’ 
Oi’d bag that kind o’ game. Oi’m ready to belave 
that these traitors were after tryin’ to kidnap some 
o’ our good men, for Oi’m hearin’ o’ such deeds 
every day now. We’ll let these chaps tell their 
own story to them as knows better nor Oi what to 
do wid ’em. But what about these women ? ” 

“ Oh, leave us here ! we can go home ourselves ! 
If you’ll only save our brothers, we won’t ask any- 
thing for ourselves. Oh, spare them ! Don’t hang 
them ! We know our way out of the swamp, and 
will go right back where we came from this morn- 
ing. Only spare our brothers ; that’s all we ask ! ” 

“ Be jabbers, thin, we’ll have to lave the ladies and 


THE “IRISHMAN'S GUN.' 


305 


go back to camp with the game we’ve got. Now 
thin, form in loine, there ! Be after startin’, right 
smart ! Good day to yez, ladies,” he added, turning 
and bowing low to the sisters of the unfortunate men. 

In a brief time the little party left the swamp, 
and the five prisoners, crestfallen and chagrined to 
have been captured in such a manner, went with 
them, each with his hands bound behind his back. 
All save the young man who had revealed the pur- 
pose of their work still kept up a bold appearance, 
declaring that they were not spies, and could be 
treated only as prisoners of war. 

Timothy, as well as the men, were well aware of 
the state of the feeling in the region. Tories and 
Whigs alike were daily becoming more excited, and 
the feeling was manifesting itself in a manner not 
highly creditable to either side. Houses of the 
suspected men were burned, their property confis- 
cated, and their lives, in many instances, taken with- 
out the formality of a trial. The horrors of war were 
abroad in the region, and neighbor had turned 
against neighbor, and friend against friend. 

Not much was said on the return march. Timothy 
called a halt, and secured breakfast for them all, and 
then the march was quickly resumed. Rescuing 
parties might be abroad in the land, and the men 
upon whom they could depend were not numerous. 

It was near night when they entered within the 
American lines, and the five prisoners were placed 
for safety in a room together. 


3°6 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


When Samuel Goodwin wrapped himself in his 
blanket that night, it was long before sleep came 
to him. The exciting events of the march and the 
capture kept running through his mind, and he was 
again thinking of his mother and Jairus. Where 
could they be? Not a word had been heard from 
either, and the troubled lad thought long and hard 
over the problem. But no solution had been found 
when at last his eyelids became heavy, and he 
slept. 

The following morning, when he returned to the 
house in which the prisoners had been confined, he 
witnessed a strange sight. A number of the Con- 
tinental soldiers had assembled before the place, 
and it was at once evident to Samuel that some- 
thing unusual had occurred. He soon discovered 
Timothy in the assembly, and to him the troubled 
lad went. 

“What is it, Timothy? What’s the meaning of 
this crowd ? Have the prisoners escaped ? ” 

“ Indade, and that they have not. There’s more 
o’ ’em than there was last night.” 

“ More of them ? I don’t understand you. What 
do you mean ? ” 

“ Jist what Oi’m tellin’ yez. There was sivin last 
night, wasn’t there? Well, now there’s tin. That’s 
more’n sivin, isn’t it? Well, thin, there’s more’n 
there was last night, as Oi’m after sayin’.” 

“But I don’t understand. How came there to 
be more ? Who are they ? Where did they come 


THE “IRISHMAN'S GUN." 


30 7 


from ? What are they ? How did they come ? 
Why were they put in with the others ? ” 

“ Jist hear the lad, will yez? ” said Timothy with 
a laugh. “ Did any one iver see the loikes o’ him ? 
He can ask more questions than all the sisters o’ 
them Tories we brought into camp last night. 
His tongue runs loike a mill-tail, that it does.” 

“ But I wish you’d tell me, Timothy,” persisted 
Samuel, somewhat abashed by the Irishman’s good- 
natured laugh. “ I don’t understand why there’s 
such a crowd here. There must be thirty of our 
men, and they’re acting as if they were excited, too, 
about something. And how came there to be more 
prisoners in the morning than there were in the even- 
ing when we left them ? ” 

“ Nothin’s more easy than that,” replied Timothy. 
“ It’s jist that another batch o’ our men brought an- 
other parcel of these thievin’ Canadian Tories, who 
were prowlin’ round tryin’ to kidnap some o’ our 
folks. Oi understand they even had designs on Phil 
Schuyler himself.” 

“ But I don’t understand yet. What’s the excite- 
ment here ?, What are our men so excited about ? 
There must be thirty, at least, here now.” 

“ The plain fact o’ the case is,” replied Timothy, 
“ that the prisoners were all shut up together in the 
one room. There’s no harm in that, as I knows, 
but ye see they’re not alone in there.” 

“ Not alone ? Who’s with them ? ” 

“ Powder.” 


3°8 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


“Powder? Do you mean they’re armed? We 
took the guns away from our prisoners, I know.” 

“ So we did. It’s not the guns, me lad, it’s jist the 
powder, as Oi’m after tellin’ ye. Some chuckle-headed 
idiots had gone and stored the powder in the very 
room where we put our prisoners, bad ’cess to ’em. 
That’s the mischief o’ it. We can handle the pris- 
oners, but not the powder.” 

“ But they haven’t any guns. The powder won’t 
do them any good without them, will it ? ” 

“ It may do them some harm, and it may harm 
us too, be jabbers ! The traitors have gone and laid 
a train right up to the door o’ the room, and they’re 
shoutin’ that they’ll fire it, and blow them, and the 
buildin’, and us, all to flinders, if we try to open the 
door. Ye see, they’ve gone and barricaded the door 
with a beam they found inside the room, and what 
they’re a sayin’ is that rather than be taken out and 
hung like gintlemen and Christians, as they ought 
to be glad o’ the honor, bad ’cess to ’em, sez Oi, 
why, they’ll take their chances together, and all 
go up to the sky to onct, as it were ; and then, too, 
they think mebbe they won’t have to go. alone, if so 
be that some of us are after tryin’ to open the door. 
Now ye see the cause o’ all this excitement, don’t 
ye, me lad ? If yez don’t see it, why, thin, all Oi’ve 
got to say is, that it isn’t Timothy Murphy’s fault, 
be jabbers ! ” 

In a moment Samuel was sharing in the excite- 
ment of the group, and as Timothy now left him, 


THE “IRISHMAN'S GUN.' 


309 


he, too, joined the others. The men outside were 
calling to those within to give up peacefully, but 
they were met by the response, as Timothy had 
explained, that rather than take their chances of 
being hanged, they would set fire to the train of 
powder, and destroy themselves, and the soldiers 
who should dare to approach, as well. 

“ It isn’t the traitors we’re after mindin’ so much,” 
Samuel heard Timothy explain, “it’s the powder 
we don’t want to be losin’, me frinds.” The sol- 
diers, however, were too highly excited to heed 
the Irishman’s jokes, and the parley continued. 

Samuel easily recognized the voice of the leader 
of the seven Tories he himself had assisted in capt- 
uring, and he was positive from what he had seen 
of him that his threat was no idle one. The door 
was strongly barricaded from within, and an at- 
tempt to break it down, he little doubted, would be 
followed by the threatened explosion. 

The soldiers now withdrew for a brief consulta- 
tion. There were two rooms on the first floor of 
the house, and above them was an unfinished cham- 
ber. This situation was discovered by the man who 
had been on guard during the night, and was readily 
perceived by them all. 

The consultation was prolonged for half an hour, 
and no light seemed to appear upon the situation. 
The Tories had the advantage, and, as they were 
well known to be desperate men, it was no enviable 
task, that of approaching and attempting to batter 


3io 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


down the door of the room in which the prisoners 
were confined. 

“ Oi have it, me frinds,” said Timothy excitedly, 
at last. “ Give me an Irishman’s gun and Oi’ll soon 
sittle the question for yez. Indade, and ’twill make 
me think Oi’m back in ould Oireland once more. 
Oi want a good dozen of yez to stand behind me, 
and be ready to follow me up.” 

Timothy secured a strong club, the “ Irishman’s 
gun ” he had mentioned, and then entered the unoc- 
cupied room of the house, and silently made his way 
to the empty chamber, followed by several of his 
companions. 

It had been learned that there was a trap door in 
the ceiling of the room in which the prisoners were, 
and through this Timothy planned to drop suddenly 
down into the midst of his foes, and then make use 
of his “ Irishman’s gun.” Samuel, in spite of his 
fear, was among the number of those who followed 
the daring man ; and, as he crept on slowly and 
cautiously, his excitement each moment increased. 
Timothy alone, of all the number, appeared to be 
calm, but they all realized the peril of the attempt 
they were about to make. 

Timothy now was standing by the trap door. 
He paused a moment and glanced back at his com- 
panions to see that they were still ready to follow. 

Apparently satisfied by his inspection, he leaned 
low and grasped the leather strap by which the door 
was lifted. Then, with one strong, quick pull he 


THE “ IRISHMAN'S GUN.' 


3 


drew it back, and, with a yell, which he afterwards 
declared he learned from a “ wild Irishman,” he 
dropped suddenly down into the very midst of the 
prisoners, and began to lay about him with his club. 

“ Oh, ye will, will yez ? Take that, thin, and that, 
too ! And Oi’ll give yez this, too, jist to remember 
Tim Murphy by. Come on, me boys ! Come on 
now, will yez ? ” 

Timothy was struggling bravely and, for a mo- 
ment, held the prisoners back while he swung his 
heavy club and felled more than one of their num- 
ber. In a moment, however, they recovered and 
rushed upon him, and it would have fared ill with 
the brave man had not his companions come to his 
assistance. 

One after another quickly dropped through the 
open place, Samuel Goodwin among them, and the 
room was soon filled with a struggling, howling 
mass of humanity. Blows were delivered on every 
side, but the advantage was all on one side, and 
almost before any one realized that the struggle 
was ended, some one had knocked the prop from 
the door and the prisoners were all secured. 

Samuel had grasped one of the men in the struggle, 
and was holding to him desperately. He quickly 
found that he was the stronger of the two, and soon 
was holding his antagonist powerless in his grasp. 
His surprise, however, was great when the door was 
flung open and he found that the prisoner he was 
holding was his own cousin, Arthur Goodwin. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 


A PARTING. 

The confusion of Jairus when he recognized his 
cousin, and also some of the Tories whose stores he 
had assisted in destroying only a few days before, 
soon gave way to alarm. It was true that Alec 
Bryan had directed him and his companions to seek 
shelter in this very house, but the danger was some- 
thing no man could foretell, and all the plans of the 
scout might very easily have been overthrown by 
the actions of the Tories and Indians, who were 
now to be found in almost every part of that region. 

If Jairus had been alone, doubtless he would have 
quickly followed his first impulse, which was to 
touch his horse with his spurs, and place as great a 
distance as possible between himself and the men 
whom he at once had recognized as enemies of his 
country. But Prudence was with him, and sev- 
eral motives, not all of which were recognized by 
the lad himself, combined to render the thought of 
deserting her in such a time of peril as something 
not to be considered even for a moment. 

The girl’s own actions also puzzled him. How 
was it that she knew his cousin ? When had they 

312 


A PAR TING. 


313 


met before ? And what was the meaning of the 
cordial greeting she had given Arthur, when first 
she recognized him as they approached the house ? 

These questions flashed through his mind in a 
moment, but they had not prevented him from 
keeping a careful watch, meanwhile, on the actions 
of the men before him. 

“ These fellows are Tories, Jeremiah,” he whis- 
pered to his companion. “ Something’s gone wrong 
and Alec Bryan has made a mistake.” 

“ Hold on a minute, Jairus,” replied Jeremiah, 
“ Alec must have known what he was talking about, 
and certainly this is the place where he told us to go.” 

“ That may be so, but we don’t want to run our 
necks right into a noose. We’ve got to think of 
Prudence, as well as of ourselves, and I think we’d 
better put straight out of this before any trouble 
comes. My cousin, Arthur Goodwin, is there, and 
he’s seen me already. I don’t believe we want any 
farther notice to quit. Come on, Jeremiah. Let’s 
put out before anything happens.” 

The lad was whispering, but his low tones could 
not conceal his eagerness and excitement. Even 
while he was speaking he had drawn his bridle rein 
tight, and was about to turn his horse about, pre- 
paratory to making a dash for the road again. 

“ Hold on, my lad,” said Jeremiah quickly. “ I 
guess it’s all right enough, for here comes some- 
body I know,” and he looked quickly towards a 
man who now was advancing from the house. 


314 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


As Jairus followed his companion’s glance, he 
saw now what had been unnoticed by him before, 
and that was that there were other men in the com- 
pany who were clad in the Continental uniform. 
There were several of them, and their apparent 
freedom at once brought hope to the young soldier’s 
heart. Besides, so many of the men wore no uni- 
form that it was impossible to determine to which 
side they belonged. In all there must be nearly 
fifteen men about the place. 

Arthur Goodwin, while he had responded to Pru- 
dence’s hail, had not offered to leave the house, and 
the fact that the few Continentals there carried 
guns, while the Tories were unarmed, served to 
strengthen the new hope which had come to Jairus. 

He watched the young officer who now ap- 
proached them and in a moment perceived that he 
had recognized his companion. 

“Why, Jeremiah, when did you come?” the 
stranger asked as soon as he recognized the soldier. 
“We didn’t know but you had been caught by the 
redcoats or scalped by the redskins, it’s been so 
long since we’ve had a glimpse of your honest face. 
Come, give an account of yourself.” 

“My, it’s Sergeant Miller!” replied Jeremiah 
eagerly. “ You know I’m a Yankee, and I’ll ask 
another question by the way of answering yours. 
Are you prisoners here, or have you taken these 
men ? ” 

“ I don’t look nor act like a prisoner, do I ? ” 


A PARTING. 


315 


laughed the young sergeant. “ No, sir, I’m no 
prisoner as yet, though no one knows what may 
happen before morning. I’ve been out on a little 
excursion with a few of my men, and we ran across 
these Tories and have given them a very cordial 
invitation to go back to camp with us, which I’m 
inclined to think they’ll accept, chiefly because they 
can’t help themselves. You see, Jeremiah,” he 
added, lowering his voice as he spoke, “ about half 
of these men are Canadian Tories, and we got wind 
of a little scheme which was in the air about their 
trying to kidnap General Phil Schuyler. Some of 
us thought that the general had had about trouble 
enough without these fellows being allowed to add 
to it, so we fixed a trap and they fell into it, 
every one of ’em. We’ve got ’em now, sure, and 
we’ll start pretty soon with ’em for the camp. Not 
a bad day’s work, either, I’m thinking,” added the 
young officer, evidently proud of his success. 

“Quite right, sergeant,” replied Jeremiah, “quite 
right. But what do ye mean about General Phil 
Schuyler’s bad luck? I hope nothing bad has hap- 
pened to him or to the army. Ye see, I’ve been 
away so long I’ve lost all trace of things.” 

“ Well, I should say you had,” replied Sergeant 
Miller in surprise, “ if you haven’t heard of General 
Schuyler’s bad luck. Why, he’s been put out of 
the command, and General Gates is in his place. 
I call that bad luck for Schuyler, to say nothing of 
its being bad luck for the army. But put out your 


3 16 TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 

horses and come into the house, and I’ll tell you all 
about it. The girl needn’t be afraid,” he added, 
bowing to Prudence ; “ for we’ve two or three ladies 
here now, and they will look after her wants. This 
is Sam Powell’s house, and Mistress Sam is one of 
the best women in this world or the next.” 

“ What are ye waiting here for ? ” inquired 
Jeremiah as he dismounted, an example which his 
two companions speedily followed, Prudence alight- 
ing upon the ground before Jairus could offer her 
his aid. “ I should think ye’d want to start 
straight back for the camp before yer prisoners 
get away.” 

“We’d like to start well enough,” laughed the 
sergeant, “ but, you see, we can’t go before morning. 
I’ll tell you about it when you come in,” and he led 
the way into the house. 

He conducted Prudence through the wide hall; 
for the house was somewhat more pretentious than 
the most of those on the frontier, and also con- 
tained many more rooms. 

Mistress Prudence did not appear to be entirely 
unconscious of the interest her arrival seemed to 
create among the inmates, but her pretty head was 
not turned to either side as she passed through the 
hall, and was left by the sergeant in the care of 
Mistress Powell. 

Jeremiah and Jairus were on the piazza waiting 
for the sergeant to return, and when he came back, 
as he saw that the two men were busied in their 


A PARTING. 


31 7 


conversation, Jairus turned to speak to his cousin, 
Arthur Goodwin. He had been eager to do this 
ever since they had arrived, but now that the mo- 
ment had come, Arthur was not to be seen. 

Jairus walked slowly around the house, but still 
could not find him. The prisoners were compelled 
to remain within doors, but were not confined 
within any one room. They had been disarmed, 
and as their captors outnumbered them, and were 
all well armed, and in addition a careful guard was 
maintained, no further precautions were considered 
as necessary for the time. 

Somewhat puzzled, Jairus returned to the front of 
the house and was about to ask the sergeant for 
information, but he saw that he was still busy in his 
consultation with Jeremiah, and he hesitated to dis- 
turb them. 

Entering the house without speaking, he passed 
through the hall, and as he came near to the door 
which opened into the kitchen, he heard a laugh 
which at once betrayed the presence of Arthur. 
He was in the kitchen. 

Opening the door, he saw Mistress Powell busy 
in her work, and directly before him, seated side 
by side before the low kitchen table, were Arthur 
Goodwin and Prudence. 

A laugh greeted his approach, and he was about 
to back out of the room in confusion when Prudence 
called: “ Don’t go, Jairus. Come in and hear what 
Arthur is telling. He’s your cousin, he says. The 


318 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


idea ! I never thought you were Arthur’s cousin,” 
and the girl laughed heartily as she spoke, and gave 
an added emphasis to “ Arthur,” which was not in 
the least pleasing to Jairus. 

“Yes, I’m his cousin,” said Jairus, stopping near 
the door and looking half angrily at Prudence. 
“Yes, I suppose I can’t deny it. I am his cousin, 
but I’m not proud of it.” 

“ You’re not half so much ashamed of it as I am,” 
retorted Arthur angrily. 

“ Oh, don’t be bad boys,” pleaded Prudence. “ I 
don’t like to hear you quarrel.” 

“No, you prefer listening to his lies, or ‘stories,’ 
as you call them,” said Jairus sharply, for he was 
thoroughly angry now. 

“ Well,” replied Prudence demurely, “ I don’t 
know whether they are ‘stories’ or not; but if they 
are, they’re not half so bad as it is to hear you 
quarrel. I’m sure I’m not to blame, and I don’t 
see what Arthur’s done to make you act so ; I 
really don’t, Jairus Goodwin.” 

“ Arthur, will you tell me where my mother is ? ” 
said Jairus, ignoring Prudence’s words. “You know 
where she is, I am sure. Will you tell me ? ” 

Arthur only laughed, but made no other reply. 
His silence seemed to enrage Jairus still more, and 
he advanced threateningly towards his cousin, who 
had not moved from his seat at the table by the 
side of Prudence. 

“Arthur Goodwin, will you tell me?” repeated 


A PARTING. 


319 


Jairus. “She’s always been a good friend to you, 
you know that, and I don’t know whether she’s 
alive or not, now. Will you tell me, if you know? ” 
Jairus showed his deep feeling by his voice, and 
Prudence evidently was touched. “ Tell him, Arthur, 
if you know,” she said in a low voice. 

But Arthur Goodwin still only laughed, and look- 
ing calmly at Jairus, made no reply. 

“ Maybe you don’t know, Arthur,” said Jairus, a 
little more calmly. “ But can you tell me where 
Sam is ? I haven’t heard a word from him since I 
saw you. Do you know where he is ? Can you 
tell me whether he is alive or not ? ” 

“ I don’t know but I might, if I tried hard,” said 
Arthur slowly ; “ but I don’t think I shall.” 

“ Why not?” 

“ I don’t want anything to do with paupers. My 
father fed you, and then you and your whole family 
just turned against him and refused to give him 
what was his own. Then when he took it, for it 
was his all the time, what did you do? You just 
scattered lies about him all over the frontier. You 
even made some people believe them. No, sir! 
I could tell you something about your mother, but 
I won’t. I could tell you a bit about Sam, and it 
would interest you, too, but I just won’t, and that’s 
all there is about it. I think too much of myself to 
have anything to do with such stuff as you are. 
You’re no Goodwin. You’re a pauper, that’s just 
what you are. You’re not fit for decent folks to 


320 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


associate with, and just as soon as this little cam- 
paign is ended, I’ll try to see that you get your just 
deserts, too!” And before Jairus perceived what 
was in his cousin’s mind, Arthur slipped from the 
table and passed quickly through the open door- 
way into the hall, and rejoined some of his com- 
panions. 

“ I don’t see what you want to quarrel for, Jairus,” 
said Prudence. “You began it, I’m sure; Arthur 
didn’t.” 

“ No, of course he didn’t,” said Jairus quietly, for 
he was too angry to trust himself to say much. 
“ No, of course he didn’t. His mother hasn’t been 
carried away by the Tories or Indians. His brother 
hasn’t been taken prisoner, and maybe hanged before 
this, for all that I know. His home hasn’t been 
burned to the ground. He hasn’t had all his hard 
work for two years destroyed. He hasn’t been shut 
up in his own sheep-pen and fired at by a lot of 
scoundrels, led on, it may be, by his own cousin. 
Oh, no. Of course he hasn’t begun it. And if he 
had, it would probably be not worth considering by 
you, Mistress Prudence. But I think of it, and I’ll 
have it out of that traitor, if he is my cousin, before 
I leave this house!” And Jairus quickly left the 
room. 

In the hall he met Jeremiah, who was searching 
for him, and doubtless the meeting prevented further 
trouble between the cousins; for the old soldier drew 
the lad with him, on the plea that he had something 


A PAR TING. 


321 


of importance to tell him, and together they went 
out of the house. 

“We can’t take Prudy to Mrs. Schuyler,” said 
Jeremiah; “for the sergeant tells me that she’s 
gone down near Albany. It seems her place up 
near Saratoga isn’t considered safe any longer. It 
may be burned up before this, too.” 

“ It isn’t the only place that has been burned by 
the rascals,” muttered Jairus. 

“ Right, my son, quite right ; but Mistress Cath- 
erine Schuyler has borne it bravely, which I’m 
afraid is a little more than can be said of every 
one.” Jairus’s face flushed at the rebuke, but as he 
remained silent, Jeremiah continued: “She herself 
came all the way up there from Albany to see to 
movin’ out her furniture and stuff when she heard 
of the danger. And while she was there General 
Phil himself sent her word of what Burgoyne was 
up to, and told her to burn the grain and crops in 
the fields. And it seems she did, too, and they do 
say, as Sergeant Miller is a tellin’ me, that she 
even set fire to ’em herself and with her own hands. 
That’s the lady for you, that is ! She’s a fit wife for 
General Philip Schuyler, the best man in the North.” 

“ But I don’t see but that we’ll have to take 
Mistress Prudence to Albany, then. That’s all the 
difference it makes to us,” said Jairus, still some- 
what angry. 

“ No. Sergeant Miller is going to put me in 
command of these prisoners, and he and two others 


322 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


are going to Albany, and they’ll look after the lass. 
That’ll save you and me all the trouble, ye see.” 

The old soldier glanced keenly at Jairus as he 
spoke, to see the effect of his words, but the lad was 
still angry, and Jeremiah was sadly puzzled. 

His suggestion, however, was carried out. The 
following morning Jeremiah assumed charge of the 
prisoners, and as they were about to start, Prudence 
approached Jairus as he stood near the house. 

“ Good by, Jairus,” she said, reaching forth her 
hand as she spoke. “ I’m sure I thank you for all 
you’ve done for me.” 

“ You’re welcome.” 

“ And, Jairus, I think you were very brave to hold 
the Panther’s feet as you did,” and she turned 
abruptly and left him. 

The lad was not quite certain whether Prudence 
was serious, or was still poking fun at him ; but the 
call to advance came, and sadly puzzled as to the 
ways of womankind, Jairus joined Jeremiah and 
the prisoners on their march to the camp. 


CHAPTER XXIX. 


THE ADVANCE OF JOHN BURGOYNE. 

The march to the American camp with the Tory 
prisoners was not a long one, and the leaders met 
with no mishap by the way. Arthur Goodwin was 
sullen and silent, and manifested no disposition to 
enter into conversation with his cousin ; but as 
Jairus also had a similar feeling, neither of the boys 
felt any regret at the silence. 

There were six men in the party of prisoners and 
there were four men, besides Jairus and Jeremiah, 
to guard them, and as the latter were all armed no 
attempts to escape were made. 

As they marched, the thoughts of Jairus were 
divided somewhat between his mother and brother, 
and Miss Prudence. The actions of that young 
lady were sadly confusing to Jairus, and he was un- 
able to account for some of the feelings she had 
displayed. Her apparent tendency to make sport 
of him was more than atoned for by the tenderness 
with which she had thanked him, when they parted, 
for all his efforts in her behalf, and in spite of his 
irritation at her lightness, Jairus felt somehow as 
if the parting scene had betrayed her true feelings. 

323 


324 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Still, there was her recognition of Arthur to be 
accounted for. How was it that she knew him? 
Where had she met him ? And apparently, too, 
Arthur had been as pleased as she at the meeting. 
His anger at his cousin increased at the thought, 
and he glanced at him as he marched silently on in 
the midst of the party. Surely there were no greater 
traitors to be found than Arthur Goodwin and his 
father. Jairus thought of all the sufferings his own 
mother had endured, and his anger increased. The 
lad did not realize that the interview between 
Arthur and Prudence, which he had interrupted in 
the kitchen of the house where they had stopped, 
had had much to do with increasing his anger at 
his cousin, and that his treachery appeared to him 
darker than ever, now. But Jairus Goodwin was 
perhaps no exception to the rule, for every man is 
prone to deceive himself. Indeed, the person of all 
others who is the most easily deceived is one’s own 
self. “ Men believe that which they wish to be- 
lieve,” wrote the greatest of the Roman generals 
centuries ago, and the words are as true to-day as 
when Caesar uttered them. 

There was one comfort to Jairus, however, and 
that was that he was mounted, while Arthur was 
compelled to trudge on, on foot. He was, perhaps, 
selfish in this feeling, but Arthur so long had as- 
sumed a superior air in dealing with his cousins, 
that now, when the turn for Jairus to hold the 
higher place had come, his elation was but natural. 


THE ADVANCE OE JOHN BURGOYNE. 325 

When, at last, the little party entered within the 
American lines and Jeremiah made his report, the 
prisoners were at once placed with those whom 
Timothy Murphy and his companions had secured. 
And Jairus and Samuel, all unbeknown to each 
other, had been standing only a few yards apart. 
So near do we all of us come at times to the very 
thing we most desire, and our eyes are holden and 
we see not. 

The two lads now entered into the camp life, 
Samuel spending much of his time with his new 
friend Timothy, while Jairus was under the special 
care and protection of the old soldier Jeremiah. 

To the last-named the return to the army was a 
source of supreme delight. He had been absent 
so long a time that his return was a novelty in it- 
self. He never tired of listening to the story of the 
battle of Bennington, and the mention of the de- 
feat of St. Leger never failed to rouse his enthusi- 
asm to the highest pitch. But his excitement was 
to increase soon, for stirring experiences lay before 
the American army — experiences in which Jere- 
miah and our boys were to have no small share. 

They heard how one of the Tory prisoners had 
been hanged : the leader who had boldly declared 
his mission from the time when he had been taken. 
The others were considered as prisoners of war, and 
were sent on to Albany for safe-keeping. Arthur 
Goodwin, of course, was in this number, and Jairus, 
when he learned of the action taken, thought that 


326 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


possibly his cousin might see Prudence somehow 
during his captivity. Had he known what was 
actually to take place, perhaps the anger which the 
thought aroused might have been even more in- 
tense than it was ; but the stirring experiences of 
the camp life soon drove most other thoughts from 
his mind, and he only at times recalled his cousin. 

All the soldiers knew that the end must soon 
come. Many of the pioneers had now secured 
their crops, and had left home for the camp, their 
families in many instances having joined with others 
in abandoning their dwelling-places and seeking the 
shelter and protection of the blockhouses. Indeed, 
there was scarcely a time in the entire war of the 
Revolution when the militia served so willingly as 
they did near the close of Burgoyne’s invasion. The 
death of Jane M’Crea, the success at Bennington, 
and the victory of those who had opposed the ad- 
vance of St. Leger, all combined to bring this to 
pass. 

And there were many ways in which these rude 
soldiers were kept busy before the final action took 
place. The march of Burgoyne’s men was to be 
checked, his army harassed by scattering attacks 
day and night, his supplies were to be cut off, his 
way obstructed, and, indeed, everything done which 
lay within the power of these rough men of the 
frontier, who were governed by the dual thought of 
the dangers threatening their own homes, and the 
ravages that might follow the success of the invaders. 


THE ADVANCE OF JOHN BURGOYNE 327 

And the problem before the British army was 
now daily becoming more serious. Burgoyne had 
hoped to secure a large supply of horses as the 
result of the expedition to Bennington, but his 
hopes there were dashed, as we know. He had 
heard nothing from Howe or Clinton, and therefore 
knew not what he could depend upon from the 
South. His supplies had to be brought for the 
most part from Canada, and the difficulty of trans- 
portation was daily becoming greater. Wherever 
his army moved, the ditches the Americans had dug 
had to be filled in, and rude bridges constructed. 
And little parties of skilful riflemen, safely con- 
cealed within the vast forests through which he 
must move, harassed his men by day and by night. 

No pompous proclamations were now sent forth 
into the surrounding regions. There were no boast- 
ful offers of mercy, no threatenings for the king’s 
enemies. A strange hush had fallen over the sadly 
beset British general, and the problem was fast 
changing from one of devastating the land, to the 
protection of himself and his men. 

But John Burgoyne was no coward. He had 
been over-confident when he set forth on his expedi- 
tion, and, indeed, no one can blame him for the feel- 
ing; for all things seemed to favor him. 

He had a large and well-equipped army, soldiers 
trained by the best of European generals were in 
his ranks, he was well supplied with money, and 
there was every prospect that the scattered people 


328 TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 

among whom he was moving would soon rally 
beneath his victorious standard. But he was now 
striving to keep up the spirits of his men, and, 
despite his lack of teams, was doing his utmost to 
hasten forward from Lake George the supplies 
which had been sent down from Canada. 

The 13th and 14th of September came, and the 
British army passed over from the eastern to the 
western bank of the Hudson and went into camp on 
the plain and on the heights of Saratoga. 

And the American army lay only nine miles away, 
near Stillwater. 

On the 15th, the British moved yet nearer, and 
advancing as far as Dovegat, took a good position 
and remained there for two days. 

The excitement in each army was now becoming 
intense, for all knew that a battle could not be long 
delayed. Burgoyne sent out parties to repair the 
broken bridges and seek for information and sup- 
plies. Still, no word was received from that force 
which he had confidently believed was moving up 
the Hudson to join him at Albany. 

On the 17th Burgoyne again moved, and advanc- 
ing as far as “Sword’s House,” went into camp in a 
highly advantageous place. 

And now the American army was only four miles 
away. 

The first action here took place ; for General 
Arnold, who had long since returned from his 
expedition up the Mohawk valley, with fifteen 


THE ADVANCE OF JOHN BURGOYNE. 329 

hundred men, had endeavored to draw the atten- 
tion of the British by harassing his flanks, but the 
nature of the ground over which he moved had 
rendered his efforts unavailing. On the 18th, 
Burgoyne moved still nearer to the American lines 
and took a position, which he immediately pro- 
ceeded to strengthen by throwing up intrenchments 
and redoubts. A deep ravine extended parallel with 
his lines and directly in front of them, and added 
much to the strength of his position. 

And now the American army lay only two miles 
away. 

And General Burgoyne now proceeded to make 
his arrangements for an advance. First, he sent 
out skilled men to examine the paths and roads 
which led towards the American camp. When he 
had received the desired information, he at once 
made preparations for an attack. 

The right of his army, which General Fraser was 
to lead, was to pass by a circuitous way around the 
head of the ravine, and without leaving the high 
ground was to occupy a position from which it could 
cover the advance of the centre and the left wing. 

General Burgoyne himself was to command the 
centre, and was to move directly towards the Amer- 
ican lines, and form his men in line of battle when 
they had gained the summit, on the south side of 
the ravine ; but they were not to begin the attack 
until the right wing had moved, as we have de- 
scribed, around the head of the ravine, and the left 


330 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


wing had repaired the bridges, and were ready to 
act with their companions-in-arms. 

General de Riedesel was to lead the left wing, 
which was to be made up mostly of Hessians and 
artillery. This wing was to march by the main 
road, which led down through the meadows and 
along the western bank of the Hudson. The Ind- 
ians and Tories were to be skirmishers in the 
battle, or flanking parties for the right wing. 

Having also arranged for carefully guarding the 
bateaux, on which the stores of the army had been 
placed, Burgoyne thought that all things were ready 
for the advance which was now to be made. 

We must also stop for a hasty glance at the plans 
of the Americans, who were well aware of all the 
movements of the enemy which lay before them. 
The position they occupied was a good one, and 
near to Bemis’s tavern. Good as it was, however, 
the Americans had strengthened it by throwing up 
breastworks and redoubts. 

General Gates was to command the right wing of 
his army, which was to occupy the meadows that lay 
between the high ground and the river, and was also 
to hold what was known specifically as the “high 
ground,” up to the very foot of Bemis’s Heights. 

General Arnold was to command the left wing, 
and among his forces were to be the strangely clad 
men of Daniel Morgan. The position which Arnold 
was to hold was Bemis’s Heights itself, and also 
some of the high ground off to his right. 


THE ADVANCE OF JOHN BURGOYNE. 331 

Between the two divisions the ground was low, 
and had been cultivated, but the hills were still 
covered with a heavy growth of timber. 

Directly in front of the right wing was a deep 
ravine, which extended in a direction parallel to the 
American lines. In this ravine tall trees were 
growing closely together, and in many respects it 
was very similar to the one which was near the 
British. 

Still another ravine, somewhat like the other two, 
lay about half-way between the two armies. 

A small body of light troops had meanwhile been 
sent over to the eastern side of the Hudson, with 
orders to observe carefully the movements of the 
British and report at once anything which they saw 
of an unusual or suspicious character. 

Early in the morning of the 19th of September 
(1777), the British advanced from their camp and 
prepared to move upon their enemies. The centre 
and the right wing were soon in readiness and were 
waiting for the signal to begin the battle. But the 
left wing had met with many more difficulties than 
it had anticipated, in repairing the bridges and 
opening up a way, and was consequently much 
delayed. 

The forenoon passed, the sun mounted high in 
the heavens, but still the signal for the advance 
was not given. 

At last, however, between one and two o’clock 
in the afternoon, the sharp report of three guns 


332 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


fired in rapid succession was heard, and as this was 
known to be the signal agreed upon, the sharp 
commands rang out, the three divisions of the Brit- 
ish army quickly responded, and together advanced 
to the attack. 

No sooner were they in motion, however, than the 
American scouts and pickets, and various scattered 
bodies which had been stationed along the line of 
march, opened fire upon the advancing redcoats; 
but the march was not checked. 

The British, officers and soldiers alike, were de- 
termined now. They all realized the desperate 
need they had of aid, and a battle was their only 
hope. No help had come, their supplies were nearly 
gone, and destruction was certain if they delayed 
longer. 

On the other hand, a battle might not only bring 
relief, but a victory as well ; and if only they could 
cut their way through those ever-increasing lines 
of the Americans they might succeed in scattering 
their enemies, and march on to success, and join 
those forces which they still fondly hoped were 
moving up the Hudson to meet them. 

In view of all these things, and the rugged bravery 
which everywhere is characteristic of the Anglo- 
Saxon, whether his home is in the New World or 
the Old, these determined redcoats gave slight heed 
to the scattering fire which met them as they ad- 
vanced, and pushed steadily on towards their foes. 
But the Americans, although they sadly lacked the 


• THE ADVANCE OF JOHN BURGOYNE. 333 

discipline and training of their cousins from across 
the sea, had sprung from the same stock and were 
ready to display something of the same determina- 
tion. 

Besides, they outnumbered the invaders now, and 
were defending their own homes and firesides. Con- 
sequently, it needed no prophet to foretell that the 
struggle which was to follow would be a terrible one. 
And terrible it was. 

The first real portions of the battle now began, 
when the advancing British columns found them- 
selves face to face with the riflemen of Daniel 
Morgan’s dragoons. 


CHAPTER XXX. 

THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 

The terrible riflemen who composed the regi- 
ment of Daniel Morgan had been sent, along with a 
detachment of light infantry, to oppose the progress 
of the British. Every man was eager for the con- 
test, and when Major Morris, who was leading Mor- 
gan’s band, rushed upon the advancing lines, he was 
so excited that he was borne beyond the men who 
were following him, and the dragoons, as a natural 
consequence, were soon scattered, being, as they 
were, without a leader ; and, as the enemy were im- 
mediately reinforced, they were soon driven back. 

But their movements had served to check the 
red-coated columns for a time, and as soon as Gen- 
eral Gates learned of it, he at once ordered two 
regiments to advance to the assistance of Morgan’s 
men. 

General Arnold and the newcomers off to the 
left of the riflemen were evidently striving to turn 
Fraser’s flank. 

General Benedict Arnold never appeared to better 
advantage than at that time. Indeed, one of our 


334 


THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 


335 


best of recent historians has declared that well would 
it have been for Benedict Arnold if he had been 
killed in the battle, or could have died soon after 
it. Alas ! for his memory. So easy is it to over- 
throw by one act all that a lifetime of struggle and 
goodness can build up. 

General Arnold was acting with all his custom- 
ary promptness and dash. He and his men were 
fighting desperately ; but they were so far outnum- 
bered by the British that all their efforts were 
unavailing. And General Gates sent them no 
reinforcements now, for reasons which will become 
apparent as we go on. 

At last the brave men were compelled to with- 
draw ; but General Arnold at once saw the advan- 
tage which the woods afforded, and by a rapid 
countermarch he quickly turned, and with all his 
impetuosity advanced again against the very cen- 
tre of the British, where, as we know, General John 
Burgoyne was himself commanding in person. And 
Arnold called upon his men to follow, and with all 
the fury of a man beside himself rushed upon the 
enemy. 

His men bravely responded, and as they were 
soon strengthened by the timely arrival of some of 
the New England troops, they held their ground. 

The contest soon became fearful. All the pas- 
sions of mankind seemed to be let loose. Now one 
side would apparently gain a slight advantage, and 
again the other side would gain. The effect of the 


336 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


reinforcements upon either side would at once be- 
come manifest. 

Stubbornly fighting the ground almost inch by 
inch, pushed back by the other side, the men would 
rally and advance with fresh courage, whenever 
their new comrades joined them. 

Burgoyne’s left was unable to render much assist- 
ance, and while General Fraser gave the British all 
the aid in his power, it had not been deemed 
advisable for him to leave the high ground which 
he occupied. 

The British, however, brought their artillery 
into play, and as the afternoon wore on, the Baron 
de Riedesel advanced to their aid with many of the 
Hessian troops ; but the Americans could not be 
dislodged. 

Still the awful struggle continued. Hour fol- 
lowed hour, but no sign of yielding on either side 
had yet appeared. One side was as determined as 
the other, and both realized fully what a victory 
or defeat would mean. The sun sank lower and 
lower, and the blood-red color of the sky seemed 
almost like a reflection of the ground over which 
the contestants were moving. The groans of the 
wounded were heard on every side, but even their 
own friends were seldom able to afford any aid or 
relief, for the struggle was desperate and the loss of 
a moment of time might be fatal. 

At last the darkness crept on, and the end came ; 
for the night could accomplish what the arms of 


THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 3 37 

either side were unable to do. The roar of the 
guns ceased, the moving columns no longer ad- 
vanced or retreated, and the end, at least for the 
present, had come. 

The Americans retired from the field under cover 
of the darkness. No one pursued them, and there 
was no disorder in their appearance. They moved 
silently, it is true, and there were no shouts or songs 
of victory. Yet they claimed the victory as theirs, 
because they had met and held the British from 
advancing. 

The British, however, claimed that the victory 
was theirs, because they had retained the field ; but 
there was slight consolation in that fact, for the 
field was barren, and the glory of the battle was 
hardly to be called theirs. 

The forces engaged in the contest had been 
nearly equal, the Americans having about three 
thousand men, and the British about five hundred 
more. 

The loss of the Americans in killed, wounded, 
and missing was about three hundred, while that of 
the British was about six hundred ; but the carnage 
among the latter was far greater. They had lost 
more officers than had the Americans, and some 
of their regiments had been almost cut into 
shreds. 

One regiment, the sixty-second, which had come 
from Canada with five hundred men, went out of 
the battle with less than sixty effective men remain- 


338 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


ing, and only four or five officers ; while one artillery 
corps had lost thirty-six of its forty-eight men. 

On the following day, both armies began to 
work to strengthen their positions. The British 
were still hoping for aid from General Howe, but 
no word had come of his advance. They were 
governed by the hope that this aid still would 
come before it should be too late, and were de- 
termined to hold their ground at every possible 
cost. 

The Americans were doing their utmost to hold 
the British where they then were and prevent them 
from pushing on to Albany. The motives for quick 
action in either army were therefore urgent, and 
in both lines they labored with desperate haste. 
Works were thrown up on the western flanks of 
the armies, while on the left they were doing their 
utmost to protect their baggage and stores on the 
bateaux. 

It is necessary now for us to pause and consider 
a trouble which had arisen among the Americans. 
As we have already seen, General Gates had refused 
to send reinforcements to Benedict Arnold, when 
the latter had been bravely striving to check the 
advance of the British, and the reason for this: fail- 
ure was well known at the time. 

Congress had removed General Philip Schuyler 
from the command of the northern army, and placed 
General Horatio Gates in his place. Gates was in 
no way the equal of Schuyler. He lacked his 


THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 


339 


ability, his largeness of heart and mind, and was in 
every sense of the word a much smaller man. 

That Congress should have taken such action, 
to-day seems very strange to us, but great as many 
of the men of that time doubtless were, they were 
still as easily swayed in some ways as any of our 
modern statesmen, whom we sometimes hear spoken 
of as being sadly degenerate. A careful and candid 
comparison, however, is not always to the disadvan- 
tage of the men of our own times. There is always 
a tendency on the part of some to magnify the men 
and deeds which are seen at a distance, and minimize 
those which are nearer. Perhaps the cause in part 
may be found in that knowledge we have of the 
weak points, as well as of the good, in those men 
whom we personally know, while of the distant 
and the dead the evil is either forgotten and un- 
known, or else is not reported. At least, we hear 
chiefly of the good, and are prone to ignore the bad. 

A clique had been formed among some of the 
prominent men of 1777, which was composed of 
those who were strongly opposed to permitting 
General Washington to remain at the head of the 
American army. It is a source of great comfort 
to-day, to those who are struggling amidst heavy 
and pressing difficulties, to know that the great 
Washington himself had not only to meet the enemy 
in the field, but that he was beset by perils from 
those to whom he had naturally a right to look for 
support and aid. But as envy is ever the price 


340 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


which a successful man must pay for his success, 
so George Washington himself was not to escape. 

This clique, which was opposed to him, was made 
up of Generals Lee, Conway, Gates, and Mifflin, and 
they were aided by many of the members of Congress 
from New England, of whom James Lovell was the 
leader. The band came to be familiarly known as 
the “ Conway Cabal,” but to-day no one likes to trace 
his ancestry back to the men who composed it. 

It was through the influence of this “ cabal ” that 
the removal of Philip Schuyler was brought to pass; 
for Schuyler was known as a warm and personal 
friend of George Washington, and in him the great 
commander, rightly as we know now, reposed the 
utmost confidence. Benedict Arnold, with all the 
warmth of his impulsive nature, had boldly and 
openly taken sides with Schuyler. He admired, as 
he believed in, the man, and the injustice with which 
he was being treated roused all Kis indignation and 
righteous wrath, and he was at no pains to conceal 
his real feelings. 

The petty jealousy of General Gates was at once 
aroused when he joined the northern army and 
learned of Arnold’s bold words and bolder feelings. 
Not only did the commander not afford him any 
assistance in his time of peril, but he tried resolutely 
to create an impression that Arnold had not done 
anything worthy of special note or mention. 

Benedict Arnold was not one to submit tamely 
to what he considered an injustice, and many warm 


THE BEGINNING OF THE END 


341 


words and harsh letters soon passed between him 
and General Gates, and the result of it all was that 
Morgan’s riflemen and Major Dearborn’s light in- 
fantry, who were considered as almost the choicest 
troops of the northern army, were withdrawn from 
Arnold’s command. 

The petty general even went farther; for at last he 
removed Arnold himself from all command, and even 
excluded him from headquarters, taking command 
himself of the left wing. This honor, however, he 
soon after bestowed upon General Lincoln. 

The condition of the two armies remained now 
much as it had been. There were constant skir- 
mishes and many light attacks by riflemen and 
scouts, but no open engagement took place. 

In the British camp, the question of supplies was 
constantly becoming a more serious one. If Bur- 
goyne retreated into Canada, he knew he would 
leave the American army free to exert all its ener- 
gies against the army of Howe or Clinton, which he 
still firmly believed to be advancing up the Hudson. 
Besides, had he not boldly declared that “ Britons 
never retrograde”? And to the determined leader 
it seemed almost impossible for him to turn back 
with such words hanging over him. 

And then, a retreat was full of danger and diffi- 
culty. The matter was talked over many times in 
the councils which Burgoyne called of his officers, 
but no one was quite willing as yet to advocate that 
measure. 


342 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


Supplies, however, were becoming very low in the 
British camp, and there was slight prospect of their 
being increased. On the 3d of October, the sup- 
ply had become so low that the daily rations for 
the men were reduced. Despair seemed to be 
creeping over the entire army, and this was aggra- 
vated by the constant and scattering attacks by day 
and by night from the riflemen of the frontier. 

In General Burgoyne’s own report are these 
words: “From the 20th of September to the 7th 
of October the armies were so near that not a single 
night passed without firing and sometimes concerted 
attacks upon our advanced pickets ; no foraging 
party could be made without great detachments to 
cover it; it was the plan of the enemy to harass the 
army by constant alarms, and their superiority of 
numbers enabled them to attempt it without fatigue 
to themselves. I do not believe either officer or 
soldier ever slept without his clothes during that 
interval, or that any general officer or commander 
of a regiment passed a single night without being 
upon his legs occasionally, at different hours, and 
constantly an hour before daylight.” 

Still, John Burgoyne was not ready to give up. 
His bold proclamation, and bolder words to his own 
officers, and the promises of speedy victory which 
he had made to their wives, held him back. Besides 
all that, he was a determined man and, with all the 
bull-dog tenacity of a hardy Englishman, was not 
ready to ask for quarter. He decided to wait for 


THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 


343 


the arrival of an answer to the word he had sent 
to Sir Henry Clinton, who was still in New York, 
before he decided what to do. 

But his forage was becoming scarcer and scarcer, 
and starvation was threatening him and his army 
alike. His hesitation was not understood within 
the American lines. Sometimes it was thought 
that he was waiting for the arrival of reinforcements 
from Canada, and to head them off some of the 
rougher and more inexperienced men, who had come 
into the army fresh from their ploughs and fields, 
were stationed so as to cut them off, or harass them 
in case they should appear. 

Again, it was thought that Burgoyne must know 
of troops coming to his aid from New York; or 
that a movement on the eastern bank of the Hud- 
son, or away out on the extreme left, was in his 
mind. 

The Americans took all the proper precautions 
to prevent the success of such possible attempts, but 
General Gates said not a word about advancing and 
attacking the British. It was known that they were 
in desperate straits, but the policy of delaying seemed 
best to the American commander. 

His own forces, however, were in a far better con- 
dition than he fully realized at the time. 

Looking back now, we can see that the final 
result which came was in a large measure the out- 
come of the carefully laid plans of Philip Schuyler. 
Schuyler sowed and Gates reaped the harvest; but 


344 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


then, that is not the only instance known in history 
where one man has labored and another has entered 
into his labors. 

Benedict Arnold also had had no small share 
in bringing to pass the present strength of the 
American army. His bold, impetuous courage, his 
marked ability, and, above all, his willingness to do 
himself whatever he asked of his men to do had 
made him the idol of the soldiers ; and so conta- 
gious is courage that his own bravery had largely 
influenced the timid men, who, inexperienced and 
accustomed to regard the British redcoats as almost 
invincible, had recently joined the ranks. 

The 7th of October came, and still John Burgoyne 
had not received word from New York. Something 
must be done, he now knew, and at once ; and a 
marked change in his plans soon became apparent. 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


THE FINAL STRUGGLE. 

It had now been decided by the British leaders 
that it was not advisable for the army to remain 
longer in its present position. A movement against 
the left of the American camp was therefore planned, 
both for the purpose of discovering whether any re- 
treat or advance was left, and also to cover the 
foraging parties, whose labors were of even greater 
importance to the redcoats than any movement by 
the army. 

Accordingly, after having left forces on the 
heights and the plains, General Burgoyne in per- 
son, and accompanied by some of his ablest 
generals, with about fifteen hundred of his choicest 
troops, advanced and formed in a place distant from 
the American lines only about three-quarters of 
a mile. Tories and Indians were also sent forward 
to call attention to themselves, and, if possible, hold 
the Americans back. 

But the American scouts were not idle; for they 
were watching every movement of the enemy, and 
when the latter formed about noon and their “ bat- 


345 


346 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


men” had begun their work of foraging, the adjutant- 
general of the Americans was carefuljy examining 
the men and the position they had taken. This 
was a low ridge of ground, the right being occupied 
by Fraser’s men, who were slightly protected by a 
crooked rail-fence, while the Hessians and the gren- 
adiers were off on the left. 

As soon as word of all this was brought to Gen- 
eral Gates, he ordered Daniel Morgan’s riflemen to 
march around through the woods and gain the right 
of the British, while others of the New England 
and New York troops were to advance against the 
left. The forests protected the advancing men 
from being seen, and it had been arranged that they 
were all to fall together upon the British forces 
before them. 

The attack began suddenly upon the left, and as 
Morgan’s riflemen at once rushed upon the right of 
the British, the engagement in a very brief time 
became general. Burgoyne’s forces were the very 
flower of his army. The men had all seen active 
service, and had been trained in all the discipline of 
army life, while the men who led them were among 
the ablest generals of that age. 

It was not long, however, before General Bur- 
goyne perceived that he would not be able to stand 
before the terrible onslaught. His men were brave, 
but their enemies were equally brave and were fight- 
ing with a desperate courage. 

He gave orders for one of his best regiments to 


THE FINAL STRUGGLE . 


347 


form a second line to secure the retreat of his 
forces; but while this was being done, the Hessians 
and grenadiers off on the left began to give way, 
and General Fraser was compelled to rush to their 
aid. 

While General Fraser was leading his men, one 
of Morgan’s riflemen, who carried a double-barrelled 
rifle and whose skill as a marksman had already 
become well known in the American camp, dropped 
upon one knee, and, taking careful aim at the Brit- 
ish general, fired. General Fraser fell, mortally 
wounded, and the rifleman who shot him was none 
other than our old acquaintance, Timothy Murphy. 

The Americans were fighting now with skill and 
determination. Success lay almost within their 
grasp, and they were struggling desperately to 
gain it. 

General Burgoyne had given fresh orders for 
lines in the rear to be formed, and at last succeeded 
in withdrawing his scattered forces to them, but he 
had left behind him six pieces of artillery, all the 
horses had been killed, and many of his men were 
either wounded or dead. 

The battle, however, was not yet ended. General 
Benedict Arnold had ignored the orders which 
General Gates had given him to keep out of the 
struggle, and already had been doing valiant ser- 
vice. He was rushing wildly from regiment to 
regiment, and his calls for the men to follow him 
were everywhere received with cheers of unbounded 


348 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


enthusiasm. Whatever the leaders might think of 
Arnold, the men, at least, believed in him with all 
their hearts. And now he was leading his men 
against the position which Burgoyne had taken. 

General Patterson’s brigade had been driven back 
when Arnold, at the head of Colonel Jackson’s regi- 
ment, advanced to the attack. Cheers were heard 
on every side, and both Arnold and the men seemed 
to be almost mad with the excitement of the battle. 
The Hessians abandoned the intrenchments they 
had been holding, under the dash of Arnold’s 
charge, and in a brief time the right and rear of the 
British were open to the advance of the Americans. 

But this battle, like that of a few days previous, 
was in the late afternoon, and once more the dark- 
ness crept on before the end came, and at last the 
men could no longer distinguish friend from foe, the 
guns became silent, the struggle was over, and the 
end had come. 

This time, however, there was no dispute as to 
who had been the victors, for the Americans had 
won. About six hundred of the British were dead, 
wounded, or prisoners, while only about one hundred 
and fifty of the Americans were to be so classed. 

General Arnold, however, had been severely 
wounded; for just as the victory seemed to be won, 
a ball had killed the horse on which he was riding 
and had fractured the general’s leg. 

The condition of the British now was more des- 
perate than ever before. On the night of October 8th 


THE FINAL STRUGGLE . 


349 


Burgoyne changed his position, and the victorious 
Americans occupied the camp he had abandoned. 

During the following day Burgoyne tried hard to 
draw the Americans on to make an attack ; but, 
whatever the faults of Gates, he well knew how to 
make use of a victory and wisely declined the offer. 
The sound of guns seldom ceased, however, and a 
scattering fire was almost ceaselessly maintained. 

General Gates now sent a detachment to Sara- 
toga to cut off the retreat of the British in that 
direction, but the position there was too much 
exposed, and the men soon moved to the east bank 
of the Hudson. 

Two thousand men were also sent to Fort Ed- 
ward to prevent a return of the British there, while 
fifteen hundred men were sent farther up to hold 
the fords. 

The British were aware of the march of all these 
men, but could only conjecture their object. But at 
about nine o’clock in the morning of the 8th they 
quietly, and with great secrecy, began a retreat to 
Saratoga. So hasty was this that about three hun- 
dred of the sick and wounded were abandoned. 
Through the rain and mud the disheartened red- 
coats moved, and at last gained the desired position. 

The Americans did not move from the camp 
until the ioth, and at about four o’clock in the after- 
noon of that day their advanced guards came in 
sight of the enemy’s position. 

General Gates was for attacking it at once, but 


350 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


his counsels were overruled, and it is even said that 
they were openly disobeyed by his fellow-officers; 
for they did not accurately know the exact position 
or force of the British. It is well for the name of 
Gates, and the success of the American cause, that 
no battle was attempted. The British were help- 
less and almost hopeless, and the end could not be 
far away. A few days of delay would accomplish 
easily what a battle might forfeit. 

On the 1 2th of October, General Burgoyne called 
a council of his leading officers and placed before 
them the information he had gained. Distorted re- 
ports had been received of the numbers and purpose 
of the divisions which had been sent to the fords 
and to Fort Edward, but he knew that the Ameri- 
can army had been largely increased, and was now 
well supplied with provisions and artillery. Their 
own bateaux had been destroyed. The British gen- 
eral then placed before his officers five propositions 
as to what might be done, but the council finally 
decided that their best course would be to leave 
their artillery and baggage in the camp, and retreat 
by night to Fort Edward, or if that should be found 
impossible, then to attempt to make a passage 
through the woods around the west side of Lake 
George ; but the first four miles of the retreat must 
be without being discovered. The scouts soon after 
reported that this last measure would be impossible, 
and the project was soon abandoned. 

But the condition of the British was hourly be- 


THE FINAL STRUGGLE. 


351 


coming more desperate. On the 13th it was known 
that rations for only three days remained. There 
was also no “ rum or spruce beer ” to be had. And 
day and night rifle-balls and grape-shot came pour- 
ing into the camp. The women had taken refuge 
in the cellars of the houses. Fear and consterna- 
tion were on every side, and there was the constant 
expectation of an advance by the Americans. Surely 
the former proud boastings of “John Burgoyne, 
Esquire,” placed him in a sad plight now. 

On the 13th Burgoyne called another council, 
and placed before it all they already knew and what 
he had been able to learn in addition. Sadly and 
reluctantly it was admitted that only a surrender 
remained for them. 

General Burgoyne soon drew up a letter to Gen- 
eral Gates and at once despatched it to the Ameri- 
can camp. 

On the following day Gates’s reply was received. 
He had demanded an unconditional surrender. This 
was rejected by the brave and desperate men, and 
Burgoyne’s propositions were approved by his fel- 
low-officers. If they could not surrender with honor, 
they could at least die without dishonor. 

On the 15th, the council was again called, and 
as General Gates’s replies and modified demands 
were considered honorable now, they were agreed 
to. 

But John Burgoyne now began to delay. A 
Tory had come with the information that Clinton’s 


352 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


army was advancing to his aid. He did not know 
how reliable the word was, and he was eager to hold 
out a little longer time. His council, however, by 
a vote of fourteen to eight decided that it would 
be dishonorable now to repudiate their word. Had 
they done so, however, we now know it would have 
been unavailing; for John Burgoyne’s army was 
beyond help. 

We must turn for a moment and learn the cause 
of the delay in the appearance of the troops which 
were constantly looked for from New York. 

Howe had expected to sail up the Hudson, as we 
know, and meet Burgoyne at Albany. Had he 
done so, the result of Burgoyne’s invasion might 
have been far different from what it was ; but for 
some reason, never understood even until this day, 
Howe had taken his fleet and gone sailing off for 
Chesapeake Bay. What he did there does not be- 
long to this story, except in so far as he frustrated 
Burgoynes plans by his failure to come to his aid. 

Clinton had not considered it safe to leave New 
York before the arrival of fresh troops from Eng- 
land, but these did not come until the 29th of 
September. Clinton, well aware of the desperate 
straits of Burgoyne, then immediately sailed up the 
Hudson. 

He easily outgeneralled Putnam and at once took 
Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery. It is true, the 
Americans bravely defended the posts, but the task 
was hopeless, and both forts fell beneath the one 


THE FINAL STRUGGLE. 


353 


heavy blow. General James Clinton and his brother 
George were in command of the places, and they 
escaped up the river. 

At about noon on October ioth, a horseman, evi- 
dently in desperate haste, approached General Clin- 
ton’s quarters. When the sentinel challenged him, 
he had hastily replied, “ I am a friend and seek 
General Clinton.” 

This horseman was a messenger the British Gen- 
eral Clinton had despatched with a message for 
General Burgoyne, but the poor man did not know 
there was an American General Clinton also. 

He immediately discovered his mistake, however, 
and was seen to swallow something hastily. 

A good dose of tartar emetic was forced down 
his throat, and up came a little silver bullet, shaped 
like a small egg. A moment later the prisoner 
swallowed the bullet again, and declared he would 
never take another emetic. 

When General Clinton suggested that he would 
hang him and then find the bullet by the aid of a 
knife, the prisoner yielded and swallowed the nau- 
seous dose. Up came the silver bullet once more. 
It was found to be a sphere, and fastened together 
by a little screw. It was quickly opened, and on a 
piece of very thin paper the following note was 
read : — 

Fort Montgomery, October 8, 1777. 

Nous y void , and nothing now between us and Gates. I sin- 
cerely hope this little success of ours may facilitate your operations. 


354 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


In answer to your letter of the 28th of September, by C. C., I 
shall only say, I cannot presume to order, or even to advise, for rea- 
sons obvious. I heartily wish you success. 

Faithfully yours, 

H. Clinton. 

General Burgoyne. 

The prisoner was soon after hanged, having 
been, as one has expressed it, condemned out of his 
own mouth. His letter was immediately sent to 
General Gates, and, doubtless, the knowledge that 
Clinton was advancing and was now so near had 
much to do with influencing the American general 
to modify his demands upon General Burgoyne. 

On the 1 6th of October the articles were signed, 
and on the following day General Burgoyne went 
with Colonel Wilkinson to the green in front of old 
Fort Hardy on the north bank of Fish creek, where 
it was decided that the army should lay down their 
arms. The British general then requested that he 
might go on to the headquarters of the American 
army. 

He was in full uniform and was accompanied by 
his aids and adjutant-general when he was met by 
General Gates at the head of the camp. 

When the British commander had come “ within 
a sword’s length ” of General Gates, he halted, and, 
after he had been introduced by Colonel Wilkinson, 
said, “ The fortune of war, General Gates, has made 
me your prisoner.” 

“ I shall always be ready,” replied General Gates, 


THE FINAL STRUGGLE. 


355 


“ to bear testimony that it has not been through 
any fault of your excellency.” 

The other officers with him were then presented, 
and, doubtless, many more high-sounding speeches 
were made, but none of them could disguise the 
fact that the great northern army, led by the great 
General Burgoyne, had surrendered, and the inva- 
sion was at an end. 

When the appointed time at length arrived, the 
British troops marched forth from their camp to the 
green and there deposited their arms, and emptied 
their cartridge boxes. Then they at once formed 
in line and, under an escort of dragoons, passed 
through the American camp, the band, all the while, 
playing the stirring strains of “Yankee Doodle.” 

In advance, rode General Gates and his staff, with 
the leading officers and their suites. The music 
was the only sound to be heard. There were eager 
expressions upon many of the rugged faces in the 
American lines as the procession passed, and we 
are told that many an eye was wet with tears. 

The “ invincible host ” had fallen. All the boast- 
ings of John Burgoyne had failed. His soldiers were 
all prisoners, and the invasion was at an end. No 
more high-sounding proclamations were to be made, 
no more promises of the aid and tender mercies of 
the British. The colonies had won in the cam- 
paign, and the spirits of the struggling patriots rose 
high. 

When the head of the sad and silent procession 


356 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


arrived at the spot where the American generals 
were standing, General Burgoyne stepped back and 
drew his sword, and there, in the presence of both 
armies, presented it to General Gates. 

The American general received it, held it a mo- 
ment, and then, courteously, returned it to his foe. 
Five thousand seven hundred and sixty-three men 
and officers, and all the guns and munitions of war, 
thus fell into the hands of the victors. Surely it 
was a great day for the new nation, and the 1 7th 
of October, 1777, will never be forgotten as long as 
the United States shall endure, which, let us hope, 
will be for centuries to come. 


CHAPTER XXXII. 


CONCLUSION. 

So ended the famous invasion of John Burgoyne. 
The campaign, upon which he had entered with 
such high hopes, had brought him only loss and 
ruin. Its effects upon the struggling nation were 
at once marked and marvellous, and a new hope 
seemed to possess all. The Tories in the region 
lost heart, and the Whigs became correspondingly 
elated. The Continentals had been able to with- 
stand the well-trained European soldiers, and their 
generals had proven themselves more than a match 
for the leaders from across the sea. 

General Schuyler had returned to the camp and, 
great-hearted man that he was, displayed no petti- 
ness, now that the victory had been won by another ; 
although he must have known what we all know 
now, that his own labors and plans had been the 
foundation of it all. 

The British soldiers all unite in declaring that 
they were treated with respect by the American 
soldiers, as well as by their leaders. The wives of 
the generals came from Saratoga, where they had 
357 


358 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS . 


been in dire suspense and danger and had taken 
refuge for days in cellars. The Baroness de Riede- 
sel has left an account of it all, and her letters, we 
can assure our readers, are as interesting as they 
are valuable, and are well worth the time and study 
of all who are interested in this period of our nation’s 
history. 

A dinner followed the surrender, and the baroness 
describes the kindness with which General Schuyle'r 
not only provided for her comfort, but invited her- 
self, her husband, and children to become his guests 
at Albany. 

Burgoyne was there in the same capacity, also, for 
some days, and he, too, bears witness to the gentle 
spirit and courteous treatment which General 
Schuyler and his wife gave them. 

The British general appreciated his treatment the 
more because it had been by his own orders that 
Schuyler’s country place had been burned. What 
General de Riedesel must have thought is not 
known ; but, as he had expected to receive General 
Schuyler’s estates as a part of his own reward for 
his share in the campaign, his feelings, when he 
became a guest of the American general, may well 
be imagined. 

The captured army was soon sent on to Boston, 
but its treatment there is something of which our 
nation has no cause to be proud. Delay, charge, 
and counter-charge followed, and few exchanges 
were then made. The troops were held in the 


CONCLUSION. 


359 


vicinity of Boston until the autumn of 1778, when 
they were all sent to Virginia. Drafts were made 
upon them for exchange, from time to time, but, 
in the end, many of them settled in the new coun- 
try after the war was ended. This was especially 
true of the Hessians, and many of the detested 
“ Dutch butchers ” became true and loyal citizens of 
the new nation. 

John Burgoyne was sent back to England, and, 
to his credit be it said, he in public and private ex- 
pressed many times his high appreciation of the 
character of many of the leaders in the rebellion. 
Of Philip Schuyler he had always a very high opin- 
ion, and for him he especially spoke many words of 
praise and appreciation. 

Clinton, when he learned of the fall of Burgoyne, 
turned back to New York; and Ticonderoga and 
Crown Point were soon after abandoned, thus again 
falling into the hands of the army without a drop 
of blood being shed, or a gun fired. 

General Fraser, after he had been shot by Timo- 
thy Murphy, and when he knew that he must soon die, 
had requested that his body might be buried at six 
o’clock in the evening, and on the redoubt on the hill. 

The request was granted, and the retreat was 
delayed for that purpose. In the midst of a heavy 
fire from the Americans, who were of course ignorant 
of what was occurring in the enemy’s lines, the gen- 
erals and their retinues followed the remains of the 
brave man to the spot which had been selected. 


360 two young patriots. 

Of the scene Burgoyne himself said : “ The in- 
cessant cannonade during the solemnity; the stately 
attitude and unaltered voice with which the chaplain 
officiated, though frequently covered with dust which 
the shot threw up on all sides of him ; the mute but 
expressive mixture of sensibility and indignation upon 
every countenance, — these objects will remain to the 
last of life upon the mind of every man who was 
present.” 

Jairus Goodwin had been shot in the first battle. 
He had fallen insensible, and his friend Jeremiah 
Thatcher, who was with him, had at last succeeded 
in carrying the unconscious lad to the rear. There 
he nursed him tenderly, and in the course of a 
few days succeeded in carrying him away from 
the scenes of battle to an old house near 
Albany. 

Jairus was unconscious during many days, and 
when first he became dimly aware of what was 
going on about him, it seemed to him that two 
persons were caring for him — one very like his 
mother, and the other strangely resembling the lass, 
Miss Prudence. It was some time before he became 
positive that he was not dreaming. His mother 
surely was before him, but when he tried to speak, 
she gently placed her hand upon his mouth and 
bade him be silent. 

As soon as he was a little stronger, she told him 
her story. On the morning when the boys had so 
strangely disappeared from their home, she had 


CONCLUSION. 


361 


waited vainly for their return, and at last had 
gone to the sheep-pen. She had approached at 
the very time when the Indians had stopped there, 
but, catching a glimpse of them, had concealed 
herself in the thick underbrush and waited. After 
their departure, she was surprised at the appearance 
of the only family near them, who were making 
their way to Albany for safety. Assured that the 
boys had been carried away, she had sorrowfully 
joined the escaping family, and had succeeded in 
making her way to Albany, where she, with many 
others, came under the immediate protection of 
Mistress Catherine Schuyler. She was there when 
Prudence came, and in some strange way the knowl- 
edge of their acquaintance with Jairus became known 
to each other. Had Jairus seen the girl then, he 
would have had slight cause to feel angered at her 
lack of interest in him ; for Prudence never seemed 
to tire of the one topic of conversation. 

When Jeremiah had succeeded in bringing the 
wounded Jairus there, he had met Mistress Pru- 
dence soon after very unexpectedly, with the result 
that the lad secured the care of two nurses instead 
of one, and consequently improved rapidly, while 
Jeremiah went back to join the army. 

A change seemed to come over Prudence as 
Jairus regained his strength, and again she seemed 
to him to be ever ready to make sport of him. 
The lad was sadly troubled by this, but his mother 
only smiled as she saw his irritation. Perhaps she 


362 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


understood girls better than he did, and was not so 
puzzled to account for the change. 

The change could not have been a serious one, 
however ; for about four years later, in the clearing 
by the lake, on which a new and better house had 
been erected, there were two women who rejoiced 
in the title of Mistress Goodwin. One of these was 
the matronly mother of our boys, and the other a 
brief time before had been Mistress Prudence. 

And Jairus did not return to the army. His 
wound had been a severe one, and rendered him 
unfit for the service, and he had given all his time 
and strength to the work on the frontier. 

Samuel, however, had gone on with the forces, 
and, after many strange adventures and experiences, 
had returned and taken to himself the old home in 
Vermont; for his Tory uncle had relinquished all 
claim to it, doubtless glad to escape any notice at 
the time. For Tories of every kind and degree 
were not in the least popular among the newly 
made states. 

Of Arthur Goodwin little was heard. He had 
returned to his father and his home, and took no 
further part in the struggle. But his friendship for 
his cousins was never renewed, and doubtless they 
were able to bear up cheerfully under the loss. The 
only meetings he had ever had with Prudence had 
been during his experience in the invasion, and for 
those, after he understood, Jairus cared little. 

David Jones never entirely recovered from the 


CONCLUSION. 


363 


shock caused by the tragic death of Jane M’Crea. 
He lived for a half-century, and the sad story was 
told by him many a time at the firesides on the 
frontier. Indeed, the tale seems to have lost none 
of its interest even at the present day. 

Timothy Murphy remained in the region long 
after the war was ended. His fleetness and his 
strength became famous, but he was known best of 
all for his skill with his wonderful double rifle. He 
seemed to cherish a special hatred against the 
Indians, and soon came to be regarded by them with 
awe. As more than forty of them had fallen by his 
own hand, to say nothing of those whom his terrible 
double rifle slew in battle, they had abundant cause 
to remember the rifleman, who, to the day of his 
death, bore upon the shield of his hunting-shirt 
those strange words, “Liberty or Death”; and at 
last he won both. 

When peace came, there was one place Timothy 
Murphy loved best of all to visit, and that was a 
home on a clearing far up on the western shore of 
Lake Champlain. He never ceased to love the 
boys, but when there came a little lad into Jairus’s 
home who rejoiced in the name of “ Timothy 
Murphy Goodwin,” the large-hearted Irishman’s 
joy knew no bounds. For hours at a time he 
would follow the little fellow about, and as he 
grew he watched him with never-failing delight. 

On the rude door of his home, Jairus had tacked 
a paper on which were written the following items: 


364 


TWO YOUNG PATRIOTS. 


The Advance of John Burgoyne, Esquire. 


Arrives at Quebec . . . . May 6, 1777. 

Receives command of the army from General Carleton at 

Quebec May 10, 1777. 

Montreal May 12, 1777. 

Three Rivers May 15-June 7, 1777. 

Fort Chambly June 10-June 14, 1777. 

Isle au Noix June 15, 1777. 

Cumberland Head . . . June 17-June 20, 1777. 

River Bouquet June 21 -June 28, 1777. 

Crown Point June 29-June 30, 1777. 

Four Mile Point .... July 1, 1777. 

Ticonderoga July i-July 6, 1777. 

Skenesborough July 7-July 23, 1777. 

Fort Anne July 25-July 28, 1777. 

Pitch-pine Plains .... July 29, 1777. 

Fort Edward July 30-August 13, 1777. 

Duer’s house (Fort Miller) . August 14-September 10, 1777. 

Batten Kill September n-September 13, 1777. 

Schuyler’s house (Saratoga) September 13-September 15, 1777. 
Dovegat ....... September 16, 1777. 

Sword’s house September 17-September 18, 1777. 

Freeman’s house, on the field of battle, September 19, 1777. 
Freeman’s house .... September 20, 1777. 


Camp on Freeman’s farm . September 21-October 7, 1777. 

Retreat of John Burgoyne, Esquire. 

Wilbur’s Basin, near the redoubts at the river, October 8, 1777. 


Dovegat October 9-October 10, 1777 . 

Saratoga October io-October 17, 1777. 

Half Moon October 18, 1777. 

Albany October 18-October 20, 1777. 

Worcester, Mass November 4, 1777. 

Marlborough, Mass. . . . November 5, 1777. 

Cambridge November 7, 1777. 

Embarks for England . . April 15, 1778. 


CONCLUSION. 


365 


Before this placard the large and the small Timo- 
thy would stand, while the elder would relate all 
the details of the famous invasion and retreat. And 
in time, young Master Timothy Murphy Goodwin 
became thoroughly familiar with the story, per- 
haps at last almost as familiar as many of our 
young readers, who are not so fortunate in their 
names. 

Of the young sergeant whom Jeremiah and Jairus 
abandoned on the island, when they laid violent 
hands upon his cat-boat, nothing was ever heard. 
Doubtless he escaped, for he never returned to 
claim the boat, which Jeremiah now considered as 
his own. Many a trip did he make in it across the 
lake on his visits to Jairus, but his ownership was 
never disputed. 

Alexander Bryan was of incalculable assistance to 
General Gates, and, indeed, it was commonly re- 
ported that he was the first to bring the American 
commander the information of Burgoyne’s final ad- 
vance. General Gates, however, forgot to mention 
his name or his assistance when he made out his 
reports. But then, General Gates had a habit of 
forgetting the names of those to whom honor be- 
longed, and doubtless the famous scout bore up 
under his neglect, as Schuyler, Arnold, and many 
others were compelled to do. 

The work of Schuyler, Gates, Lincoln, Arnold, 
and others was not ended ; for the war was not over 
when the invasion of John Burgoyne was crushed. 


366 


TWO YOUNG PA T RIOTS. 


Of some of them our histories record the bravest 
deeds ; of others, silence is the best portion. 

The invasion of John Burgoyne was ended, and 
private and officer, Whig and militiaman, had done 
their best. The story of their struggles has come 
down to us, and we may profit by their examples. 
There is need of the same devotion, the same 
courage and unselfishness, and the same patriotism 
to-day. We can best honor our honorable fathers, 
by upholding that which they have bequeathed to 
us as a noble heritage ; for the land for which they 
struggled has become ours without a struggle. We 
can at least strive to hold up that to which they 
clung so desperately in the trying times of Bur- 
goyne’s invasion. 


W. A. Wilde Co., Publishers. 


War of the Revolution Series. 

By Everett T. Tomlinson. 

r HREE COLONIAL BOYS. A Story of the Times 

of ’76. 368 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

It is a story of three boys who were drawn into the events of the times, is patriotic, 
exciting, clean, and healthful, and instructs without appearing to. The heroes are 
manly boys, and no objectionable language or character is introduced. The lessons of 
courage and patriotism especially will be appreciated in this day. — Boston Transcript. 

r 'HREE YOUNG CONTINENTALS. A Story of 

the American Revolution. 364 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

This story is historically true. It is the best kind of a story either for boys or girls, 
and is an attractive method of teaching history. — Journal 0/ Education, Boston. 

TJ/A SUING! 'ON'S YOUNG AIDS. A Story of the 
rr New Jersey Campaign, 1776-1777. 391pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

The book has enough history and description to give value to the story which ought 
to captivate enterprising boys. — Quarterly Book Review. 

The historical details of the story are taken from old records. These include 
accounts of the life on the prison ships and prison houses of New York, the raids of the 
pine robbers, the tempting of the Hessians, the end of Fagan and his band, etc. — 
Publisher's Weekly. 

Few boys’ stories of this class show so close a study of history combined with such 
genial story-telling power. — The Outlook. 

r wo YOUNG PATRIOTS. A Story of Burgoyne’s 

Invasion. 366 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

The crucial campaign in the American struggle for independence came in the sum- 
mer of 1777, when Gen. John Burgoyne marched from Canada to cut the rebellious 
colonies asunder and join another British army which was to proceed up the valley of 
the Hudson. The American forces were brave, hard fighters, and they worried and 
harassed the British and finally defeated them. The history of this campaign is one 
of great interest and is well brought out in the part which the “ two young patriots” 
took in the events which led up to the surrender of General Burgoyne and his army. 

The set of four volumes in a box, $6.00. 


OUCCESS. By Orison Swett Marden. Author of 

O “Pushing to the Front,” “Architects of Fate,” etc. 317 pp. 

Cloth, $1.25. 

It is doubtful whether any success books for the young have appeared in modern 
times which are so thoroughly packed from lid to lid with stimulating, uplifting, and in- 
spiring material as the self-help books written by Orison Swett Marden. There is not a 
dry paragraph nor a single line of useless moralizing in any of his books. 

To stimulate, inspire, and guide is the mission of his latest book, “ Success,” and 
helpfulness is its keynote. Its object is to spur the perplexed youth to act the Columbus 
to his own undiscovered possibilities ; to urge him not to wait for great opportunities, 
but to seize common occasions and make them great, for he cannot tell when fate may 
take his measure for a higher place. 


W. A. Wilde &= Co., Boston and Chicago. 


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W. A . Wilde <St° Co., Publishers. 


Brain and Brawn Series. 

By William Drysdale. 

r 'HE YOUNG REPORTER. A Story of Printing 

House Square. 300 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

I commend the book unreservedly. — Golden Rule. 

“ The Young Reporter” is a rattling book for boys. — New York Recorder . 

The best boys’ book I ever read. — Mr. Phillips , Critic for New York Times. 

r 'HE EAST MAIL. A Story of a Train Boy. 328 pp. 
Cloth, $1.50. 

“ The Fast Mail ” is one of the very best American books for boys brought out this 
season. Perhaps there could be no better confirmation of this assertion than the fact 
that the little sons of the present writer have greedily devoured the contents of the vol- 
ume, and are anxious to know how soon they are to get a sequel. — The Art A mateur , 
New York. 

CT-HE PEACH PATROL. A Story of the Life-Saving 

-Z Service. 318 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

The style of narrative is excellent, the lesson inculcated of the best, and, above all, 
the boys and girls are real. — New York T imes. 

A book of adventure and daring, which should delight as well as stimulate to higher 
ideals of life every boy who is so happy as to possess it. — Examiner. 

It is a strong book for boys and young men. — Buffalo Commercial. 

r 'HE YOUNG SUPERCARGO. A Story of the 

Merchant Marine. 352 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

Kit Silburn is a real “ Brain and Brawn ” boy, full of sense and grit and sound 
good qualities. Determined to make his way in life, and with no influential friends to 
give him a start, he does a deal of hard work between the evening when he first meets 
the stanch Captain Griffith, and the proud day when he becomes purser of a great 
ocean steamship. His sea adventures are mostly on shore; but whether he is cleaning 
the cabin of the North Cape, or landing cargo in Yucatan, or hurrying the spongers 
and fruitmen of Nassau, or exploring London, or sight seeing with a disguised prince 
in Marseilles, he is always the same busy, thoroughgoing, manly Kit. Whether or not 
he has a father alive is a question of deep interest throughout the story ; but that he 
has a loving and loyal sister is plain from the start. 

The set of four volumes in a box, $6.00. 


CtERAPH, THE LITTLE VIOLINISTE. By Mrs. 
O C. V. Jamieson. 300 pp. Cloth, $1. 50. 

The scene of the story is the French quarter of New Orleans, and charming bits of 
local color add to its attractiveness. — The Boston Journal. 

Perhaps the most charming story she has ever written is that which describes Seraph, 
the liule violiniste. — Transcript, Boston. 


W. A. Wilde 6° Cc., Boston and Chicago. 


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W. A. Wilde Co., Publishers. 


Travel= Ad venture Series. 



A story of absorbing interest. — Boston Journal. 

Our young people will pronounce it unusually good. — Albany Argus. 

Col. Knox has struck a popular note in his latest volume. — Spring Bold Republican. 


r HE LAND OF THE KANGAROO. By Thos. 

W. Knox. Adventures of Two Boys in the Great Island Con- 
tinent. 318 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

His descriptions of the natural history and botany of the country are very interest- 
ing. — Detroit Free Press. 

The actual truthfulness of the book needs no gloss to add to its absorbing interest. — 
The Book Buyer, New York. 



VER THE ANDES ; or , Our Boys in New South 

America. By Hezekiah Butterworth. 368 pp. Cloth, 


£ 1. 50- 

No writer of the present century has done more and better service than Hezekiah 
Butterworth in the production of helpful literature for the young. In this volume he 
writes, in his own fascinating way, of a country too little known by American readers. — 
Christian IVork. 

Mr. Butterworth is careful of his historic facts, and then he charmingly interweaves 
his quaint stories, legends, and patriotic adventures as few writers can. — Chicago Inter- 
Ocean 

The subject is an inspiring one, and Mr. Butterworth has done full justice to the 
high ideals which have inspired the men of South America. — Religious Telescope. 



OST IN NICARAGUA ; or, The lands of the Great 

Canal. By Hezekiah Butterworth. 295 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 


The book pictures the wonderful land of Nicaragua and continues the story of the 
travelers whose adventures in South America are related in “ Over the Andes.” In this 
companion book to “ Over the Andes,” one of the boy travelers who goes into the 
Nicaraguan forests in search of a quetzal, or the royal bird of the Aztecs, falls into an 
ancient idol cave, and is rescued in a remarkable way by an old Mosquito Indian. The 
narrative is told in such a way as to give the ancient legends of Guatemala, the story of 
the chieftain, Nicaragua, the history of the Central American Republics, and the natural 
history of the wonderlands of the ocelot, the conger, parrots, and monkeys. 

Since the voyage of the Oregofi, of 13,000 miles to reach Key West the American 
people have seen what would be the value of the Nicaragua Canal. The book gives the 
history of the projects for the canal, and facts about Central America, and a part of it 
was written in Costa Rica. It enters a new field. 

The set of four volumes in a box, $6.00. 



U A R TER DE CK 

Elliott Seawell. 


AND FOKSLE . 

272 pp. Cloth, $1.25. 


By Molly 


Miss Seaw r ell has done a notable work for the young people of our country in her 
excellent stories of naval exploits. They are of the kind that causes the reader, no 
matter whether young or old, to thrill with pride and patriotism at the deeds of daring 
of the heroes of our navy. 


W. A. Wilde 6° Co., Boston and Chicago. 


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W. A. Wilde Co., Publishers. 


Fighting for the Flag Series. 

By Chas. Ledyard Norton. 


7 


ACK BENSON’ S LOG ; or, Afloat with the Flag i?i 

’61. 281pp. Cloth, $1.25. 


An unusually interesting historical story, and one that will arouse the loyal impulses 
of every American boy and girl. The story is distinctly superior to anything ever 
attempted along this line before. — The Independent. 

A story that will arouse the loyal impulses of every American boy and girl. — The 
Press. 



MEDAL OF HONOR MAN; or. Cruising Among 

Blockade Runners. 280 pp. Cloth, $1.25. 


A bright, breezy sequel to “ Jack Benson’s Log.” The book has unusual literary 
excellence. — The Book Buyer , New York. 

A stirring story for boys. — The Journal, Indianapolis. 


Jl/TIDSHIPMAN JACK. 290 pp. Cloth, $1.25. 

d- f-L Jack is a delightful hero, and the author has made his experiences and ad- 
ventures seem very real. — Congregationalist. 

It is true historically and full of exciting war scenes and adventures. — Outlook. 

A stirring story of naval service in the Confederate waters during the late war. — 
Presbyterian. 

The set of three volumes in a box, $3.75. 



GIRL OF ’76. 

Cloth, $1.50. 


By Amy E. Blanchard. 331 pp. 


“ A Girl of ’76 ” lays its scene in and around Boston where the principal events of 
the early period of the Revolution were enacted. Elizabeth Hall, the heroine, is the 
daughter of a patriot w'ho is active in the defense of his country. The story opens with 
a scene in Charlestown, where Elizabeth Hall and her parents live. The emptying of 
the tea in Boston Harbor is the means of giving the little girl her first strong impression 
as to the seriousness of her father’s opinions, and causes a quarrel between herself and 
her schoolmate and playfellow, Amos Dwight. 



SOLDIER OF THE LEGION. 

yard Norton. 300 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 


By Chas. Led- 


Two boys, a Carolinian and a Virginian, born a few years apart during the last half 
of the eighteenth century, afford the groundwork for the incidents of this tale. 

The younger of the two was William Henry Harrison, sometime President of the 
United States, and the elder, his companion and faithful attendant through life, was 
Carolinus Bassett, Sergeant of the old First Infantry, and in an irregular sort of a way 
Captain of Virginian Horse. He it is who tells the story a few years after President 
Harrison’s death, his granddaughter acting as critic and amanuensis. 

The story has to do with the early days of the Republic, when the great, wild, un- 
known West was beset by dangers on every hand, and the Government at Washington 
was at its wits’ end to provide ways and means to meet the perplexing problems of 
national existence. 


W. A. Wilde dr 5 Co . , Boston and Chicago. 


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W. A. Wilde Co., Publishers. 


r 'HE OR C UTT GIRLS ; or, One Term at the Academy. 

By Charlotte M. Vaile. 316 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

A well-told story of school life which will interest its readers deeply, and hold 
before them a high standard of living. The heroines are charming girls and their 
adventures are described in an entertaining way. — Pilgrim Teacher. 

Mrs. Vaile gives us a story here which will become famous as a description of a 
phase of New England educational history which has now become a thing of the past, 
with an exception here and there. — Boston Transcript. 

CtUE ORCUTT. A Sequel to u The Orcutt Girls.” By 

kj Charlotte M. Vaile. 330 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

It is a charming story from beginning to end and is written in that easy flowing 
style which characterizes the best stories of our best writers. — Christian Work. 

It is wholly a piece of good fortune for young folks that brings this book to market 
in such ample season for the selection of holiday gifts. — Denver Republican. 

The story teaches a good moral without any preaching, in fact it is as good in a way 
as Miss Alcott’s books, which is high but deserved praise. — Chronicle. 

r HE M. M. C. A Story of the Great Rockies. By 
Charlotte M. Vaile. 232 pp. Cloth, $1.25. 

The pluck of the little school teacher, struggling against adverse circumstances, to 
hold for her friend the promising claim, which he has secured after years of misfortune 
in other ventures, is well brought out. The almost resistless bad luck which has made 
“ Old Hopefull’s ” nickname a hollow mockery still followed him when a fortune was 
almost within his grasp. The little school teacher was, however, a new element in “ Old 
Hopefull’s ” experience, and the result, as the story shows, was most satisfactory. 

HE ROMANCE OE DISCOVERY ; or, a Thousand 
Years of Exploration, etc. By William Elliot Griffis. 
305 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

It is a book of profit and interest involving a variety of correlated instances and 
influences which impart the flavor of the unexpected. — Philadelphia Presbyteria?i. 

An intensely interesting narrative following well-authenticated history. — Telescope. 
Boys will read it for the romance in it and be delighted, and when they get through, 
behold ! they have read a history of America. — A wakener. 

r 'HE ROMANCE OE AMERICAN COLONIZA- 
TION ; or, How the Foundations of Our Country Were Laid. 
By William Elliot Griffis. 295 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

To this continent, across a great ocean, came two distinct streams of humanity 
and two rival civilizations, — the one Latin, led and typified by the Spanish, with 
Portugese and French also, and the other Germanic, or Anglo-Saxon, led and typified 
by the English and reinforced by Dutch, German, and British people. 

SON OF THE REVOLUTION. An Historical 
Novel of the Days of Aaron Burr. By Elbridge S. Brooks. 
301 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 

The story of Tom Edwards, adventurer, as it is connected with Aaron Burr, is 
in every way faithful to the facts of history. As the story progresses the reader will 
wonder where the line between fact and fiction is to be drawn. Among the characters 
that figure in it are President Jefferson, Gen. Andrew Jackson, General Wilkinson, 
and many other prominent government and army officials. 




W. A. Wilde 6° Co., Boston and Chicago. 


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W. A. Wilde Co., Publishers. 


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AL VERN, A NEIGHBORHOOD STORY. By 
Ellen Douglas Deland. 341 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 


Her descriptions of boys and girls are so true, and her knowledge of their ways is 
so accurate, that one must feel an admiration for her complete mastery of her chosen 
field. — The Argus , Albany. 

Miss Deland was accorded a place with Louisa M. Alcott and Nora Perry as a 
successful writer of books for girls. We think this praise none too high. — The Post. 



SUCCESSFUL VENTURE. 

Deland. 340 pp. Cloth, $1.50. 


By Ellen Douglas 


One of the many successful books that have come from her pen, which is certainly 
the very best. — Boston Herald. 

It is a good piece of work and its blending of good sense and entertainment will be 
appreciated. — Congregatio?ialist. 


K 


ATRINA. 

Cloth, $1.50. 


By Ellen Douglas Deland. 


340 pp. 


“ Katrina ” is the story of a girl who was brought up by an aunt in a remote village 
of Vermont. Her life is somewhat lonely until a family from New York come there to 
board during the summer. Katrina’s aunt, who is a reserved woman, has told her little 
of her antecedents, and she supposes that she has no other relatives. Her New York 
friends grow very fond of her and finally persuade her to visit them during the winter. 
There new pleasures and new temptations present themselves, and Katrina’s character 
develops through them to new strength. 



BOVE THE RANGE. 

332 pp. Cloth, $1.25. 


By Theodora R. Jenness. 


The quaintness of the characters described will be sure to make the story very pop- 
ular. — Book News , Philadelphia. 

A book of much interest and novelty. — The Book Buyer , New York. 


DIG CYPRESS. 

$1.00. 


By Kirk Munroe. 


164 pp. Cloth, 


If there is a man who understands writing a story for boys better than another, it is 
Kirk Munroe. — Springfield Republican. 

A capital writer of boys’ stories is Mr. Kirk Munroe. — Outlook. 


F OREMAN JENNIE. By Amos R. Wells. A Young 

Woman of Business. 268 pp. Cloth, $1.25. 

It is a delightful story. — The Advance , Chicago. 

It is full of action. — The Standard , Chicago. 

A story of decided merit. — The Epworth Herald , Chicago. 



YS TER 10 US VOYAGE 

By Lieut. H. P. Wiiitmarsh. 


OF THE DAPHNE. 

305 pp. Cloth, $1.25. 


One of the best collections of short stories for boys and girls that has been pub- 
lished in recent years. Such writers as Hezekiah Butterworth, Wm. O. Stoddard, and 
Jane G. Austin have contributed characteristic stories which add greatly to the general 
interest of the book. 


W. A. Wilde 6° Co. , Boston and Chicago. 


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W. A. Wilde d>° Co., Publishers . 


P 


PHILIP LEICESTER. 

pp. Cloth, $1.25. 


By Jessie E. Wright. 264 


The book ought to make any reader thankful for a good home, and thoughtful for 
the homeless and neglected. — Golden Ride. 

The story is intensely interesting. — Christian Inquirer. 


c 


APN THIS TIE TOP. 

Cloth, $1.25. 


By Sophie Swett. 


282 pp. 


Sophie Swett knows how to please young folks as well as old ; for both she writes 
simple, unaffected, cheerful stories with a judicious mingling of humor and plot. Such 
a story is “ Cap’n Thistletop.” — The Outlook. 


L 


ADY BETTY'S TWINS. 

1 17 pp. With 12 illustrations. 


By E. M. Waterworth. 

75 cents. 


The stoiy of a little boy and girl who did not know the meaning of the word 
“obedience.’’ They learned the lesson, however, after some trying experiences. 


r 'HE MOONSTONE RING. By Jennie Chappell. 

118 pp. With 6 illustrations. 75 cents. 


A home story with the true ring to it. The happenings of the story are somewhat 
out of the usual run of events. 


r 'HE BEACON LIGHT SERIES. Edited by Nat- 

alie L. Rice. 5 vols. Fully Illustrated. The Set, $2.50. 

The stories contained in this set of books are all by well-known writers, carefully 
selected and edited, and they cannot, therefore, fail to be both helpful and instructive. 


T 


HE ALLAN BOOHS. Edited by Miss Lucy 

Wheelock. 10 vols. Over 400 illustrations. The set in a 


box, $2.50. 

One of the best and most attractive sets of books for little folks ever published. 
They are full of bright and pleasing illustrations and charming little stories just adapted 
to young children. , 


T 


‘HE MARJORIE BOOKS. Edited by Miss Lucy 

Wheelock. 6 vols. Over 200 illustrations. The set, $1.50. 


A very attractive set of books for the little folks, full of pictures and good stories. 



OT'S LIBRAR Y. Edited by Miss Lucy Wheelock. 

10 vols. Over 400 illustrations. The set, $2.50. 


In every way a most valuable set of books for the little people. Miss Wheelock 
possesses rare skill in interesting and entertaining the little ones. 


W. A. Wilde dr-* Co., Boston and Chicago. 


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W. A. Wilde &° Co., Publishers. 


P ELOUBET S SELECT NOTES. By F. N. Pelou- 

bet, D. D., and M. A. Peloubet. A Commentary on the Inter- 
national Sunday-school Lessons. Illustrated. 340 pp. Cloth, $1.25. 

This commentary is the one book every teacher must have in order to do the best 
work. It interprets the Scripture, illustrates the truths, and by striking comments con- 
vinces the mind. 

It is comprehensive, and yet not verbose, and furnishes winnowed material in the 
most attractive and yet convincing form from both spiritual and practical standpoints. 
Accurate colored maps and profuse original illustrations illuminate the text, and create an 
intelligent and instructive view of the subject matter. 

Teachers are invited to send for sample pages of “ Select Notes.” 



D. D. 238 pp. Cloth, $1.00. 

A really helpful manual for Sunday-school workers. — The Sunday-school Times. 

It unlocks the door to the treasure-house of Sunday-school success. — F. N. 
Peloubet , D. D. 

The best all-around book for a Sunday-school worker I know of. — Marion Law- 
rence , Secretary Ohio State S. S. A ssociation. 

This book absolutely covers every phase of Sunday-school work in a clear, instruc- 
tive manner, and cannot fail to be of marked benefit to every worker. Send for sample 
pages. 


CtTE CIA L SONGS AND SEE VICES for Primary and 
O Intermediate Classes. Compiled by Mrs. M. G. Kennedy. 160 
pp. Price, 45 cents. $40.00 per hundred. 

The book contains Exercises for Christmas, Easter, Children’s Day, Harvest, etc.; 
Lessons on Lord's Prayer, Commandments, Books of the Bible, Missions, and many 
other subjects. Adapted to Primary and Intermediate Classes, Junior Endeavor 
Societies, etc. 

It has ninety pages of new, bright music for all occasions, including a large number 
of Motion Songs that are now so popular. We feel sure the book will prove instruc- 
tive, interesting, and entertaining. It is printed on heavy paper, bound in board covers. 
Sample pages sent on application. 


CT^'HE PALM BRANCH ; or , the Gospel in Song. By 
_Z Mrs. J. A. Hodge. 112 pp. Price, 35 cents each; $30.00 
per hundred copies. 


A new hymn book for little children in the Sunday school and home. Its object is 
to call forth the iove of the children to Christ, by teaching them the truths concerning 
Christ, and their relation to Him. The language is therefore simple, within their com- 
prehension. The music has been carefully selected from good composers, of a high 
order, and w r ell adapted to the voices of children. Another peculiarity of the book 
is that it is beautifully illustrated with seven full-page pictures. 



UNDAY-SCHOOL PICTURES. 

ternational Sunday-School Lessons. A 
for each Quarter. 


Illustrating the In- 

set of Sixteen Pictures 


Each picture is printed on 7 x 9 inch heavy card, and the set enclosed in a neat port- 
folio, costing only 35 cents in heavy manila, or 50 cents in cloth. Circular free. 


W. A. Wilde Co., Boston and Chicago. 

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